Parading Our Lives on Social Media

Gosh, it's been such a long time since I checked in on my blog.  Honestly, it's such a time commitment even though I make no money off of it whatsoever and I sure as hell am not a viral sensation.  The main reason I even blog is for the sake of preserving memories first and sharing experiences with fellow interested travelers second.  Unless I have photos or write things down or something amazed me to the fullest, I have the worst memory for remembering the details.  I often remember the oddest details of our trips and can usually remember the names of towns, but since my husband is our trip planner he has the investment of time on his side for recollection of our travels.

That said, I came on here because I want to write about/share a story about some free "entertainment" we witnessed during our excursion to Puerto Rico in January (I can't believe we're in May already!).  Yes, yes, I am way more than several trips behind on this blog, but so it is.  And I truly apologize for the quality of these photos...I can't quite seem to get them to export in a high enough quality from Lightroom.  Anyway, we spent an afternoon on gorgeous Flamenco Beach (one of the prettiest beaches I've seen!) on Culebra Island.  I was sunbathing on my back after snorkeling, eyes closed, not looking at the beach, when I heard my husband chuckling.  Intrigued, I propped myself up on my elbows and he gestured down by the water where these two early- to mid-20's women were walking (more like strutting) in black bikinis and sensual cover ups.  I was confused...until I saw the drone in the air.

Presumably, these women either run a blog, the drone operator runs a blog, or these women paid for some sort of drone video experience for whatever reason (there are probably more scenarios, but my imagination is tired).  I have to applaud them for having the courage to strut around like a model on a runway on a public beach and float for what seemed like 20 minutes in the water once all the walking takes had been shot.  You certainly won't find me doing anything resembling that; I hate being in video, and, to a certain extent, being photographed.  Let's just say you'll never find my butt front and center in an Instagram photo to get "likes" and generate popularity for my social media sites; that's just not me.

However, this begs a certain unlicensed, psychological outtake on how the younger millenials and/or Generation Z operate in society.  But first, let it be said that I am a millenial, one born right smack dab in the middle of that generation, so I feel like I am entitled to observe and comment on my own generation in a public arena.  Also let it be said that I'm glad these women felt confident and, from my point of view, comfortable enough to do this on a public beach with everyone watching.  Additionally, I'm glad that these women traveled out of their country for a new experience.

With that in mind, why are the younger (and maybe older) millenials and/or Gen Z's so keen on parading their lives around like peacocks on video/social media?  Is it really just because they want to go "viral"?  (To put this in context, we overheard this same group at lunch talking about how if only they'd gotten this one snorkeling shot then it would have gone viral.)  Do they want to go viral because they want to make money, because they feel like they need to fill a void, or both, or something else?  Whatever happened to just enjoying the experience, taking photos because you felt inspired, and then sharing them on your platform (or just with friends) without all of the staging?  Why do some or a lot of millenials feel this drive to make their lives look so perfect? 

I am in no way suggesting someone shouldn't try to monetize their blog; that's that person's prerogative.  Or that a drone shouldn't be used for awe-inspiring aerial footage of the ocean or some other grand nature-scape.  Or that your social media platform shouldn't be filled with pretty and inspiring things that make you happy.  And when it boils down to it, you do you.  But sometimes I wonder what is the point of publicly exhibiting one's super "extra" highlight reel; why do we (royal we) always feel the need to be on public display?  I guess for some, public confirmation of one's insta-perfect life is a wonderful ego boost.  I guess I just don't 100% understand it because I'm not naturally like that; I don't really enjoy the limelight.  I am not guilt-free of sharing highlight reel content, but at the same time I won't go the extra mile to get that perfect pose or wake up at 4 am to get that perfect shot without people; I don't believe in staging, at least when it comes to sharing a travel location (fashion or food blogging, for example, obviously requires staging).

Thoughts?  I know it's not just me who feels this way.  Would love to hear some perspective on this!  I'm sure there are tons of articles that more eloquently question this aspect of the millenial lifestyle or that have a good psychoanalysis, but I'm not journalist or a sociologist or a psychologist, so you just get to read my more or less off the cuff thought vomit.  Cheers!