I'll be interested to see how many social media influencers will be coming to Hawaii now that things have somewhat returned to normal. Do you think we'll see a rise in social media influencers moving to Hawaii?
I think their are a bunch of angry kanaka who will start getting louder. It's happening at the beaches already. Fck tourism. Sustainability should be the focus. Tourism destroys every native culture that adopts it as a survival strategy.
I'm going to say no. Most influencers will move to a place for a few months or a year and then move on to another beautiful or highly sought after place. The people I follow have done exactly that.
I am an influencer who has recently traveled to Hawaii and have created some content while there. It was a place I've always wanted to visit and happy I have gotten the chance to experience a bit of that paradise, but I wouldn't go and live there solely to create content and give off the impression of a glamorous lifestyle. I prefer watching vloggers who give off a realistic outlook, such as you are doing.
I don’t think it is a good thing. They portray their opinion which is not Hawaii, in my opinion. And attracts the wrong people and tourists that destroys the real beautiful Hawaii culture. As you say, it is not Disneyland. I feel for you and Hawaii. Hope it won’t get ‘ destroyed ‘ by them 😧
I have noticed some new Hawai’i influencers that are local and give us content that is down to earth and a true portrayal of how we live !! I love these and will support them 100%!! Such as your channel!! The rich and famous who are buying up the aina are creating false narratives for the Ohana of generations that have called this aina home!! Reality will set in as you said not many live like the rich and famous and they will go back to the mainland! I live and love this Aina of my ancestors !! The good and the bad!! It’s home!!
I can't help but think that at one time you could buy a home in Hawaii for 30k. Today that same home goes for almost a million plus. I can't ignore that it's the same aina it was in the past. So why is it so expensive? Who says it's worth one million? Something to think about. And how could we live buying a home for 30k? So what is the real Hawaii and who is living in it?
This is one of the reasons I’m starting my channel soon! Since haven’t really seen too much local yt channels showing regular life here lol. You’re right about entertainment, that’s just what it is for these influencers, and it’s usually not a move that I’ve seen, but an extended stay. I don’t find anything wrong with it. Thanks for sharing!
I could tell that the social Influencers have had impact during the summer of 2021. I was visiting my sister and I had my sons with me and we wanted to visit some of my favorite locations on Oahu. I noticed the tourist were visiting sites like they were at Hawaii Disneyland. The tourist were trying to visit all the places that the Influencers were telling them to visit and they were checking the spots off a list. It upset us how some of the tourist were being disrespectful at some of the temples. It is a different type of tourist that I would see in the past.
I do see it as a false positive, its nice to give our state a beautiful lens to be seen through, but at the end of the day it makes it hard for the rest of us who live here. More isn't always great, we have our own problems that needs to be solved. people in general just needs to take things with a grain of salt with what they see on their screens.
Thank you for such an honest video on the reality of living in Hawa'ii. My brother has lived there for 9 years, works 3 jobs, lives paycheck to paycheck, and rarely has the time or money to do what these influencers portray in their content. My brother sacrifices because he loves and respects the culture, the beauty, and the peacefulness compared to most of the mainland. Love your channel! It's the only Hawa'ii related channel I watch because you keep it real. Thank you from Indiana!❤
Dude, influencers are like that everywhere it's nice. I live in Santa Barbara and influencers make it look like everyone's rich and beautiful and we spend all day having expensive lunches or playing volleyball at the beach where it's always sunny and so on... Nice job on your videos and keeping it real, BTW. Was born in Honolulu pre-statehood days and my mom cried when we moved mainland when I was a small boy.
This is just the nature of social media. They are entertaining others. It’s only the highlights of someone’s life. We lived in Hawaii (Big Island) for years and it truly is a special place. We love the people, the culture, all of it. It is HARD to live there but such a beautiful place. People who have never lived there just don’t know. It’s not their fault but they are naive. Keep on doing what you’re doing. Your channel is a breath of fresh air!❤️ Aloha 😘
Chris, you bring up excellent points here. Influencers seem to be an odd breed of person, to me. They have too much hold over people, too much sway, and too much ... influence. They have always seemed to be celebrities more than anything else. Hawai'i, or so it seems, is becoming increasingly despoiled and (dare I say it, because I am one Haole) ... Haole-ified. I love Waikiki, and The Big Island, like anyone else does. Waikiki is L.A. by the sea. The Big Island is becoming more touristy. But, even they are becoming less native / less authentic, or so I have eye-witnessed. I hope I am wrong. I fear I am not.
I grew up in Seattle, visited hawaii many times with my family. I decided to move there in 2015 after a divorce..WoW what Different experience. Tourist vrs Kamaina.. After surviving 6 months I returned home. I fully understand why locals feel disrespected.. too many outsiders with over entitled attitudes moving there and disrespecting the people; the land and the culture!!
So glad you’ve raised awareness here. I follow only yours and a couple of others bcuz authenticity is my objective. It’s a sad testament that the superficiality they promote has found an audience. As others commented here, Hawaii is not their playground. One approach might be to comment on their sites how their false narrative is a disservice to the state, people and culture.
Ha ha ha I work for a living and haven't been to the beach in over 35 years!!! My friend was the same way when he moved to Oregon and told me he missed Hawaii's beaches...I said "what? you neva even go to the beach while you lived here!"
On this side of the island we get tired of seeing rescue helicopters hauling people off Crouching Lion lookout. Big signs say trail is dangerous and closed but visitors still go up there for their Instagram photos.
Just found your channel and have watched several videos already. Thank you for the content you put out. It’s educational and real! So refreshing. Please keep sharing a true Hawai’ian perspective and Mahalo
I live on the Big Island and I believe social media is not good for us living here. That’s why so many people move here and then end up leaving after a short period of time. It is a huge cost to move here and then move back to the mainland. It’s always not what they think it’s going to be. They also have no idea that each island has their own vibe.
Watched the 2022 AUW video at work today. Recognized you as soon as the camera panned to you and had to watch it again. Hope that the video helps to get people to donate to AUW and help those in need.
You tell the truth about Hawaii. You are honest and you don't sugar coat the reality of living in Hawaii. Yes, Hawaii is a beautiful place; but, there is homeless, unemployment and people using food banks to survive. MAHALO 🌴
My point of view is that if you are going to move to Hawai‘i, you need to embrace our culture and our people. That’s why I really didn’t care for all of those HGTV “my dream aloha home“ type shows. It almost made it look like folks could move here from the mainland and we would adapt to them.
So true about unrealistic presentations of Hawaii. One acquaintance said she didn't expect Hawaii was so rundown and wouldn't want to go to the other islands.
As always, you being a local, has set the record straight, the social media influencers are being unrealistic, and are portraying an image of Hawaii, which is unrealistic. As you have correctly pointed out that it’s a struggle to maintain yourself and family there. Since I call Hawaii my second home, I have seen the day to day struggle the locals go through, the high cost of living, the sacrifices you have to make. I would say that there are two types of Hawaiis, one type is the one where a tourist comes to spend a short time, never goes beyond the usual tourist hang outs, and the second type is the one which is away and beyond the eyes of a short term visitor, and that’s the real Hawaii, and I think it’s this lack of understanding about the reality where we see some tourists also misbehave and have very wrong expectations about the place. Thanks 🙏 for the video and Mahalo
I live cali & Hawaii & the thing I see from tourists is that they have never seen a place like Hawaii except in movies or beach destinations & now on YT or IG.they wanna go back home & say I been to Hawaii & now I know that life.1st time I came to Hawaii over 15 years as a tourist it was like incredible place.2nd time I came stayed in a roach infested shack in Makiki with my friend who moved here & as I opening as it was to see Hawaii in this light it was his home & It was fine.gave me a sense of grounding & Hawaii is still amazing natural paradise.life is hard in most places Hawaiians just have a better landscape then most
Thanks for always keeping it real and showing both sides of the coin. Influencers will always portray a positive image of how life is like in Hawaii. I think it's important for people to understand that is not real life. The danger is for those who follow them and want to live in a fantasy and end up moving and then struggle financially or become homeless. They eventually leave and the cycle repeats itself again.
I'm in Arizona and these social media influencers only care about likes. The environment is the least of their concerns. I'm an avid hiker and several ancient Native American spots that used to be well kept have now been trashed or vandalized due to new "hikers" sharing its beautiful scenery for the likes and follows on Instagram. I suspect certain places in Hawaii will inevitably succumb to the same tragedies. 19-year old fan girls who see images like those posted in Chris's video will be sought out and exploited. Eventually, they become overrun and devastated. More and more people geotag these secret spots and locations. There's a very fine line between "everyone should get to enjoy what is beautiful" and wanting to protect sacred spots and locations.
This is a very interesting and great discussion. i get it coming from nz . Although there are some influencers that try to educate, I do agree that influences are essentially at most, entertainers. There job is to “influence” you. Whether it’s to buy a product, or visit a place or look through a lens of a certain lifestyle, and there is a market that look for this. Hawaii for example. There are people in this world that live in a place that’s predominantly cold, or predominantly metropolitan with no access to a beach (especially during pandemic) so they escape via these posts.But i do believe whoever decides to visit, they should be more responsible in doing more research into the place they visit and not solely rely on a picture from insta. we shouldn’t put the whole blame on the influencer because another adult decides not to. I don’t know lol my 2 cents. In saying that great videos, i’m visiting soon and your videos are part of me doing my research to ensure i visit… respectfully while having a good time.
Yeah I feel like the more influencers come the more people think that life in hawaii is easy but its not. My boyfriends parents are struggling with their restaurant and its way too expensive for us to go back home to help them.
Great viewpoints, I hope it doesn't take away from the real reason why people love Hawaii and not what people see on the internet. Home is what you make of it, I'm super stoked that i live in Hawaii. mahalos for sharing. hoping for more great videos. Have a Great Day!
I like visiting Hawaii and living the fantasy. I'm stoked it exists. Do I realize it's not easy working/living there on a day-to-day existence? Absolutely.
I have watched content creators move to hawaii and less than 5 years they move back to the mainland? They promote beach life, surfing and like you said a false narrative until they get hired and then find out how expensive it is to live here. Such an excellent topic.
Yeah sometimes it’s hard to swallow watching the perfect lifestyle in Hawaii because as a Kamaaina , as I speak for my own family, we go to work, go home take care family duties & repeat 365 days. We never go to the beach or even see waterfalls but we do lock doors & have security to protect our family. But hey whatever rocks there boat & all we can do is share our true local life. 🤙
Great discussion topic as I prefer the truth about whether I could make it in Hawaii. I always heard locals pay sticker price for cars. I feel not having much bargaining power in purchasing means I have no say in other affairs. Ct from SF/ca
A while back there was a tv show called Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Today it’s Hawaii. A few years ago, it was Aspen, Colorado. Or Thailand. The Maldives. NY City cycles through as the expensive place everyone loves to hate once in a while. Spain. Greece. It’s always a beautiful place, and there’s always a way to live extravagantly in beautiful places. Many of the people watching this stuff live in small towns or cities or suburbs that aren’t particularly beautiful; and they’re locals there. They work, bring up their families, and for fun, they watch glamorous lives in beautiful places. Influencers give them this content. If they’re good enough at it, they actually can afford to live in the places they show themselves living. Today, it’s Hawaii. They haven’t been able to go overseas because of Covid. Soon, there will be another Influencers’ Paradise.
@@HelloFromHawaii When I did a work trade on The Big Island, locals would suggest for me to move there. I was surprised about it. I wasn't expecting to be welcomed that quick and that humbly. While I appreciated it, I 100% at the time was only thinking of myself as a visitor. I stayed for 5 months and then felt glad to have been embraced in such a warm way. But something inside me was telling me I had to go visit more places. While I love and admire Hawaii. I belong to the earth as a whole. The earth is my home. And the more people see the whole earth and not just an area. The better we will be. Also I don't see culture. I see loving people who want to share.
I see that here too. It makes me wonder how others can afford to stay at these very high end hotels. My guess is that these hotels attract social media influencers as a part of their marketing plan. Great advertising, but not always a reality. Love your channel! :-)
I have really enjoyed living with your videos. I just came back from Kawaii is a difficult transition to come back to the grind here where everything is about work and paying rent in my life. I was lucky to get to go to Kawai and for me yes it was a glamorous trip but I did not have to pay for. But while I was there I kept thinking how hard it’s going to be to come home and not be able to get it before the sunset and see the ocean and the rainbows. It’s unrealistic I know but I have to say it’s beautiful and the people I came in contact with there were very kind. It’s no glamorous life coming back either. I got a chance to drive through the neighborhoods away from the tourist area and see the homes and the furniture on the front porches LOL End it just reminded me of all of the yard decorations where I come from in the desert of California. We’re all struggling and it always feels good and almost glamorous to go somewhere else for a while God bless all of you there and I miss Kauai so much already
Aloha Chris, Mahalo for this very informative video. It is true Hawai'i is unfortunately glamorize by others especially on Social Media. It's like California, but more so there. I used date a guy who's from Oahu, and when visiting him & his family I got to get the feel of the local lifestyle vs being a tourist. Though definitely beautiful there, life is not out there is not easy. It's hard...even a little more so than living in California especially with everything there being sky high expensive. Though I would never talk bad about Hawaii & discourage them from moving there, I would kindly ask what brings them to the islands to move. Then again if I had the opportunity to live there even just for a couple of months to a year I'd definitely take it. I think overall I'd hope anyone would really think about thier choices & consider the pros & cons before doing something especially as big as moving far from home. Anyway on another note I really enjoy your videos & even recommended it to a good friend who had just moved there to Oahu with his Fiance (she got stationed there with the Navy). Mahalo again & keep the videos coming. 🤙🏽
As is Alaska:) Beautiful, exotic, mountains 🏔 People don’t see we are isolated it’s a huge state. It’s expensive. We have a lot of homelessness. Problems with violence and drugs and alcohol. Yet we call this home. Raise out kids here:) and we love it
Working in tourism allows me to meet tons of mainlanders on a daily basis. Whoever show their intentions to move here, they will always get my encouragement. Why not? Their transplants are beneficial to our economy and eventually, very likely, they will move away for various reasons. Even if they stay and build a family here, it is not a bad thing. They are just fit in our society. We live in a free and rich country. People move from places to places all the time. There is no good point in going against the flow.
It might be a myth or partially true, that a few places outside of Hawaii would pay for plane tickets to ship off homeless/undesirables to locations, which Hawaii because of the warm climate becomes a destination. While it would be difficult to prove or disprove, it would be a consideration that there are a portion of people thinking that having a warm climate and tropical setting might be dream location, which as locals surviving we realize there are downsides to the educational, occupational opportunities of being a limited State economy with fixed transportation-commerce hubs in a limited space of development and a high cost of living and limited resources of water. We are the little kid fish tank that people keep trying to add more guppies while the existing guppies keep spawning more keiki. Same amount of space, but adding more & bigger fish doesn't make it easier for the small keiki and existing guppies to survive.
@@tracyalan7201 That is also a myth. Honolulu has been getting negative net migration for years. Our population figure is still stable because our kupuna live much longer than anywhere else in the country. However, that would strain our public finances because working age populations are the ones running the economy. Let them born and come. Not for them, but for the sake of us!
I think it was only a matter of time before these types influencers brought their style of glamorizing a particular location to Hawaii. That being said, I hope there will be an equal or greater amount of effort into showcasing Hawaii in a more respectful manner. This channel is one example of such an effort!
It brings a false sense of what Hawai'i really is as they glamourize their perception of OUR Hawai'i, OUR Home. Every day Hawai'i becomes less Hawai'i with too many foreign influences. I believe it goes beyond social media influencers, they're not the only ones turning Hawai'i into a hot mess. Don't get me wrong, I watch their exciting & adventurous videos too. Income/industry is a good thing to have, but there needs to be a regulated balance of tourism. Can't have so much that it destroys the land and the kama'aina. Sadly, there's a lot of disrespect going on whether intentional or not. Kama'aina need a break, the ʻāina needs to heal. And yes, everyone has a privilege to travel around, as do many Hawai'i Local do. One key factor, Hawai'i Locals have a conservative mentality and are far less "invasive", not so demanding or entitled. Hawai'i Locals show more respect towards the next individual. From Hawai'i and now living in Las Vegas I see it. Hahahaha I think my comment was longer than your video. Always look forward to your releases. Mahalo! 🤙
Social media influencers are "Kim Kardashians for the rest of us." Like Kim, they want to look fabulous at all times, wherever they are. Also like Kim, the running line for influencers is: "Fake it 'till you make it."
I like your emplaning of this topic. I Andy worry that influencers ruin hikes, beaches and don’t respect the land. What do you think? Of course I don’t live I’m Hawaii, so I don’t see this. I only hear about it.
I get your point but I disagree that social media influencers are not bad. Hawaii may be a passing fad with them but it is popular with them it does do damage. I have some many videos of influencers with large following (over 100k views) doing illegal hikes, crossing private property without permission, touching/harassing animals with comments from followers that they can't wait to get to Hawaii to do the same thing. Alot of them do illegal stuff without let their viewers know that it is illegal but make it look glamorous and cool. Also Hawaii is not the only the place that is getting damaged by this kind of behaviors. They are one of the reasons I think locals do lose it with tourists because many of these influencers encourage such disrespect for the place and people to be controversial and get more views. Also I mostly use you tube and these videos usually show up even if you only search for "Hawaii". you don't have to pick lifestyle as topic. just Hawaii. you right that it is not real and they do get bored and leave after a few months, but that's what makes it truly feel like they are using hawaii for views and clout with no consideration real people with history/culture live here.
Mahalo for sharing. I do see where these influencers sometimes show inappropriate behavior, like the hikes or touching animals. I'd hope that locals don't contribute to that type of thing.
I like your videos. The influencers are not impactful. The paradise of Hawaii has been changed long before the internet ever go invented. God bless Hawaii!
The influencers that I follow don't portray living in Hawaii as expensive or cheap. I'm well aware that they make money with affiliates, sponsorship, RU-vid, and more. I also know that life in Hawaii is hard when you have to work a real job like most of us. I fell in love with Oahu when I first visited; the people, the land, the ocean. I've gone back quite a few more times and I've been dumping everything I can into savings to move there. Do I think I'll live a life like the influencers who can afford to go from airbnb to airbnb? Heck no. I've been extensively planning this for years. The influencers are doing a great job with making Hawaii look like a beautiful and exotic place to visit, when people start looking into moving there, most quickly end their search. The key here either way is to always be a good guest.
I can understand that it is disrespectful and/or dangerous when social media personalities do dumb stuff like film themselves balancing w one leg on the edge of the cliff, but I don’t mind when they put an enthusiastic spin on their travels on the island. I can tell a lot of folks put a lot of work into their videos and are proud of their work and experiences. Yes, it is unfortunate if it leads to people wanting to move to Hawaii under unrealistic expectations or if drives up the cost of housing. I just hope folks can experience the aloha spirit among the struggling middle class locals that open their hearts to strangers and the community. I hope folks can appreciate how cool it is for children to grow up in such a humble and unique environment where no one is the majority.
I remember moving to South Florida. In one week, I realized that what they say about the area is true, and mostly a fantasy. The reality is that it is not a paradise for residents(unless you are very wealthy). There is crime here. The weather is the only thing that is free(along with tropical storms and hurricanes) and orange juice is quite expensive. This was before the influencer craze and the internet(a couple of years before). Everything was by word of mouth, print and media outlets. Aside from the glitz and glamour, there is a living side full of everyday people trying to make a living and keep their heads above water. It’s the same with any popular place in the world. Influencers are merely amateur lifestyle and entertainment reporters. They try and produce content that they think their audience will enjoy. I have seen a few influencers on RU-vid but it’s not like they are exploiting the locations that they film in. Some explain the facts about places and what to look out for (like yourself). Some interview local people to get their perspectives. These people show respect to the places they visit and film their content in. Visiting Hawaii is on my bucket list. Have a great week. Peace.
I can't get over some of the comments I see from some of them. You can clearly see who does/doesn't do their research and who understands respecting the land/culture.
Agree. I think that's why there's conflict online between locals and the influencers. But I do hope both sides grow from the interaction. Still comes down to respect and aloha. 🤙
What some social media influencers are doing nowadays is the latest iteration of how Hollywood portrayed Hawaii in the past, and still does. Occasionally, social media gets it right, as Hollywood did with The Descendants. The difference is when real voices of Hawaii dominate in telling Hawaii's story honestly. That's how your vlog is. Social media is neither good nor bad. It just depends on who is using the tool that it is, and how they are using it.
On my FB & IG i took down ALL my scenic and sunset shots.(not all sunsets) I realized I am contributing to the issue….now I post real pics of homelessness, poverty, gas prices. Itʻs a downer but our reality…
I live in Puna. As long as influencers aren't just hitting the highlights I'm fine with it. They need to talk about homelessness, the crime, the meth epidemic, the poor schools, the high cost, etc ... Show the whole picture, not just sunsets and shave ice .
I'm in Puna as well. It's definitely not all rainbows here, as you said. More meth/ice than shave ice, and crime/property/vehicle theft is completely out of control with no enforcement. Woebetide any tourist/influencer in their rental Mustang/Jeep etc., parking anywhere in Puna. They'll be lucky to get away with only a keyed door or busted window. Add to that cock fighting, dog fighting, race riots in the schools, stolen/stripped/burned-out vehicles and garbage everywhere...and the cost of living is just off the charts...need I go on? A sick, sick situation. Certainly not the paradise these influencers try to portray.
Terrible because they only show these empty beach and nature getaways but it’s all edited and filtered to make it look perfect, when in reality it’s not.
In my opinion, this is just the way it’s going to be from here on out. The world has changed significantly with social media heavily influencing society. The gatekeeper mentality pertaining to Hawaii that has existed for so long is going to fizzle away. More and more of the things that were once only known to locals are now on the spotlight for the entire world to see and access. Things change, that’s just how life is. Nothing stays the same, and that includes Hawaii.
I have watched Real estate vlogs to see what Hawaii is really like. Why? Because I’m olderrrrr and I know it can’t be dreamland 24/7. I also like watching 4K Hawaii vlogs because the ocean is absolutely beautiful!!. I don’t mean to offend anyone….but there are wayyyyyy to many tourist around for me personally. ( my sister assured me I would get over the tourist issues as soon as I arrived at a hotel and saw the beauty)🤙 However, we lived on a beach for many years and traffic and vacationer’s…😱😵💫 drove me nuts. I didn’t realize how much until we moved away. Since we’ve moved I have now become that vacationer that drives locals to stay home, but in 3 1/2 years I haven’t been back to any beach. Hawaii is beautiful…i guess the new influencers are the old moon doggies and Elvis’s Blue Hawaii from yearsssss past. Ya just live in a beautiful land and people of all nationalities will FOREVER want to stay in Paradise❤
Oe! It is beautiful but it comes with a real life price !! I Have seen things there that I will cherish and love forever. But it’s important to remember it’s not real on Instagram or reddit. This is a pace that should be honored . I lived in the side of a house with excellent landlords both places. Hawaii is the only real paradise we have left let’s not destroy it with false information let’s honor it
I met a few influencers in Bali and they are beyond stressed as they have to create daily influenced article or photos. 2-3 hours creating face and looking for location. They looked like they are hurting. No rest for them.
It can be a double edge sword regarding intent and its collateral impact with may/may not be the intent of the social media influencer. The way that Hello from Hawaii is a topic specific approach which initiates discussion about pro/cons and an individual position based on individual choices. It sparks thought and opinions for a forum approach. An influencer is a little different as it's still individual but promotes something. Promotion is like the door of the house left wide open. It allows whatever to come in or be seen. The consequence of the door left open is the collateral impact on the house occupants to deal with. The homeowner can't shut the door, because everyone has seen inside, knows what there and it is always left open. When it is a limited controllable promotion and welcomed, it is fine, but when you open the door of someone else without knowledge, control, or approval it can create collateral damage to the other person. That's my thought about it.
@@HelloFromHawaiiHawaii: I had to revise the response several times debating how to explain it. When someone promotes something on the web, if its a product, event or service, it should be expected to be good for a limited time. A location doesn't change, but it doesn't always get updated by the poster of changes. Places close/move/change owners/names. The example of the door was that if the data wasn't updated too much information or too little causes problems. Too little updates might mean no updating of policy changes might need to know of availability that a change has occurred. Too much information might be a security change that impacts the source or audience for the negative. As tech has increased, people and processes have underappreciated the role/function of records manager played. One of the functions was that people periodically reviewed and organized information in their files. Historians had troves of data to shift through. As tech increases, retention of data has decreased enormous amounts that original documentation is destroyed with little tracking what came out, what was destroyed, what was kept. George Orwell made a point in 1984 of history being overwritten by political motives. We do it to ourselves because we ignore the importance of source documents and chronology.
I've seen that program. I'm a little confused as to the intent. I thought it was trying to connect locals with remote jobs, but I'm not sure about the outcomes.
It’s not real and all of social media a story. This phenomenon is not isolated to Hawaii, it’s everywhere. Los Angeles influencers do not show the reality of Los Angeles, only instagrammable moments and places. I’m sure locals especially native Hawaiians have concerns over their sacred land becoming “Disneyland” and hopefully all tourists will respect the land and culture when they visit. I think Hawaii needs to start a new industry in order to limit and not rely on tourism for sustaining their economy. Maybe tech? The digital world offers many opportunities even for remote islands.
The same can be said about Florida, the major difference is that most 'locals' in Florida can only trace back their families 3 or 4 generations, mostly after Florida began to develop and urbanize. Native Hawaiians, however, have a deeper relationship with their āina because they have been there hundreds of years before Europeans arrived. We can't get mad at influencers for doing what they do, that is their culture. How can we get mad at them for having no respect, when we can't even show the same respect to them? Influencers are just modern day story tellers, every culture has their version. If anything, locals should embrace the influencers and use them to facilitate change. That's just my opinion.
I get that you could say that social influencers are just selling a fantasy story. But the problem is that it's a fantasy that their audiences want to try and pursue for themselves. Even though everyone may say "Oh I know it's not real." It's real enough that people believe it's attainable, even if it's for just a short moment.
I think it is a good thing that social media influencers are moving to Hawaii. At first I thought the Natives should be left to Hawaii; but now I think everyone on the planet should have equal access to the Islands. There really is nothing in my mind that makes Hawaiians special. The world is big and people collectively have rights to their planet. I was born near "the most beautiful beach in America" and tourist would come and argue about rights...their rights...had a New Yorker tell me since he was 55 yo and live near my home for over 30 years he really had more of a right to be near my home than I did. Some people want to feel special while making others less special....but I could change my mind again.
@@HelloFromHawaii I feel like that was more on the sarcastic Mahalo side of things. Like my New York story was not really related, but it is. It is related because it shows how people want recognition for something that puts them above others - like being Hawaiin- however, people should give each other respect because they are alive and have feeling not because they live near the best beach in the world in Florida or because they live near the recycle plant in Ewa beach.
I believe we have a disconnect between today and the past. What most influencers post today is mostly a false, paradise view of Hawaii. But is it 100% false? Today, there is a fundamental disconnection between the tourism view and actual living life on the islands. But it wasn't always like this. For example, I have run into many current residents on Oahu while on social media and I have with others presented a point of view of how life was different for older generations in places like Oahu. The idea of being able to keep your doors unlocked or leaving your keiki in the sandbox at the mall while you shop for a few hours, and they were safe, is so different from actual experiences of living today. But this is our past experience; how Is this not an ideal piece of or a few examples of the ideal of paradise and living a simpler life? Often, when we mention these experiences to the younger generations on Oahu, who face one of the highest amounts of homelessness per capita vs the mainland and other significantly different issues, do we, the older generation, not appear to be nostalgic or making things up? We can't ignore that this is the younger generation's living reality. However, what is paradise? Is it not an experience or perception? Is it not a by-product of what we value as a people? We must also remember that many life experiences or opportunities on the islands from the older generation are gone today. Experiences like being children swinging from vines of the banyan tree or window shopping in the biggest open-air mall while experiencing the local multicultural businesses and gathering are examples of experiences gone. How about licking the remains of the li hing mui from the paper sack after shopping at the local Ma & Pa crack seed store? All these things are pretty much gone. Focusing on the topic in more detail. Is the issue not about who is fake or wrong but what has changed? Should we be talking about what we can do to restore some balance so that the identity and experiences of life on the islands can be maintained while thinking about growth? A difficult task, but not impossible. As for some influencers. I group them with tourists. However, you have to appreciate tourests. They are the ones that record what Hawaii used to look like. Much like us the older generation watches old Hawaii five o or magnum pi episodes so we can remember what our island used to look like. Not that the shows show what life is really like.
Mahalo for the thoughtful comment. Those past memories and experiences of Hawaii, as you describe, are important to pass on through stories. I remember my Dad telling me and not locking doors and staying out late. I'm not sure how this contemporary Hawaii will fare. It's not as charming perhaps? But still, the newer generations will have to figure it out, just as the last great generation had to.
Oh man another great video. Thanks so much for coming inside from your day on the sunny beach drinking from coconuts with umbrellas in them as you looked at the hundreds of rainbows.😁 We know life can be tough there, because we see all of the violent crime there when we watch Hawaii 5-0, and Magnum PI. I hope a network picks up the latter for a bunch more seasons.😁 The content you base the video on is silly. Your major industry is tourism, and they bash it. Maybe she should work for the tourism board and produce commercials filled with shark attack victims, people dying from sun poisoning, and skin cancer. Then she could post a sad comment on how people are struggling more because no one wants to visit. It's just whining from someone who takes no interest in thinking of solutions to Hawaii's problems. Now put the sunscreen back on and get back out to your secret beach. You know the one I'm talking about. I saw you and your family arriving at the end of another RU-vid video. That one where the unicorns bring you fancy drinks and the mermaids bring you seafood dinners and the rainbows shine even at night and enjoy that sunset. The sunset like no other in the world. Just be careful going home because we don't want you to end up a violent crime victim on one of those shows mentioned earlier.😁 ❤️💜💚💛🧡💙 love your channel. Was that too much rainbow 🌈 for you at the end?
Please do some food content and promote the smaller local places like Hono's instead of Giovanni's and Papa Ole on the leeward side. Lunch plates....the manapua man. By the way, I'm a mainlander. Ono kine grindz will get more clicks. How about community service and conservation vids? Or how to handle yourself around the island? Like don't cut people off. Social issues like racism, homeless issues, influx of mainlanders, lack of public funding, etc. Big shaka.
@@HelloFromHawaii will see how it goes since HTA just signed a new contract with another agency. HVCB is no longer the agency handling Hawaii promotions. But either way, there’s two Hawaii. One for all of us local who live and work but don’t have the time/means to enjoy Hawaii life. The other is for the tourists who visit Hawaii for the fantasy idealism.
What I am sick of seeing is so many young women posting on fake book with their bikini photos posing advertising for rentals because they are moving to Hawai’i. Do they not realize that they are potentially putting themselves in danger? There are sociopaths and perpetrators even in paradise!!! And scammers!! It is sad that they feel the need to flaunt their bodies to find a room or an apartment. If they can’t find one on their own without doing that, maybe they shouldn’t be moving here!
@@HelloFromHawaii all over the housing wanted Facebook groups. Not a day goes by and another half nekid blonde Caucasian young woman advertises looking for a room or apartment because they are moving to Hawai’i to “chase their dreams”. It is sickening and frightening.
Aloha ! It is not much different than Hawaii 5 O. I laughed 😂 They show driving downtown and actually getting somewhere. It is just a show. I moved here years ago. Now you say “influencers” are moving here? Nah. They be here til something else come along. When we run into tourist doing wrong take time to teach culture and real life. There is nothing new under the sun. I grew up in Alaska. When I would climb mtn and ect. I would end up carrying out lots of tourists trash. Now called influencers. Still carrying out trash. Take time to teach. Some are good and some not so… I like the show ‘Death in Paradise’. I would like to visit the island country film in Guadeloupe, The Caribbean. But what with every week a murder, I don’t know? 🤔😂. The influencers will learn the truth, the good and the ugly of our island. Let’s talk and teach the real Aloha . 🌴🌴
I have lived in Hawaii for 40 years. When I watched one influencer video the pros and cons of moving to Hawaii. I dislike how they pronounced Hawaiian words oh my God they kills it. I get turn off.
