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How Does Social Media Affect our Travel Expectations?

Social media and influencers have ways of impacting and affecting the way consumers see everything, especially travel.

Whether it is a TikTok with a video of an influencer on a sponsored brand trip, or an Instagram account dedicated to helping us find the best travel deals, the travel industry has felt the effects of social media – and so have the travelers.

According to Forbes Magazines’ Andrew Arnold, millenial travelers are experiencing the stark reality of disappointment from misleading marketing relating to travel.

According to Arnold, “people want to appear as if they are ‘living their best lives.’” They do this by heavily editing pictures from their vacation to look better, exaggerating stories of their own experiences abroad, and using specific cameras and angles to be performative.

Arnold continues by saying that people use social media as an “extension of their personal brand.” This creates a world of competition and a situation of one trying to prove their worth in a matter of photos. By doing so, what we end up seeing is a highlight reel, far from actual reality.

Despite the misleading ways social media has affected our travel standards, there are truly helpful ways to use social media in regards to travel. Trying to find the locals’ favorite coffee shop? Check Instagram or TikTok! Trying to find amazing deals on hotels and flights for your next weekend getaway? Check Instagram or TikTok! Using social media to enhance your vacation is always a bonus, but it is important to be wary of misleading advertising and overly-edited images and stories.

The key difference here is using social media as a way to get valuable information instead of creating unattainable expectations for ourselves. Once we are able to step back and away from content that is comparative, heavily edited and misleading, we are able to see a new side of social media that is beyond helpful.

There are other connections to social media that help travelers which is the connection to locals. There are many ways to find local residents via social media as resources to help guide the best possible experience. As the travel industry grows and expands everyday, it is important to take into consideration the effect of social media. Whether positive, negative, or even both at times, it is vital to stay connected and find ways to bring the best parts of travel to social media in an honest, real way.

Link to article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewarnold/2018/06/16/is-social-media-creating-unrealistic-travel-expectations-among-millennials/