And these youngsters (the majority of them being young ladies with above average looks or makeup skills) are followed not just by girls who aspire to be live the “high life” just like them but also men who are “curious” about what’s happening in the world of the young and nubile.
The video below shows that in order to take the “perfect photo” (probably to attract a thousand likes), these women in China had ruined a cleaner’s day by scattering fallen leaves which have already been swept up. Netizens flamed the perpetrators. I’m not surprised that the same netizens will continue to like photos taken this way and buy products promoted by these self-centered, self-absorbed, narcissistic “influencers”.
Let’s face it. If nobody saw this video, the photos shot this way could have garnered thousands of likes on WeChat or Weibo. And the Chinese are not the only ones who are guilty. Thanks to shallow Instagramers whose images of luxury, hedonism and indulgence draw thousands of equally shallow followers, we have arrived at a tragic point in our evolutionary history where it’s all about the self. Yep, I don’t care about others say or think. It’s all about me.
Isn’t it about time we put all these flashy images in perspective and see if there is any meaningful statement behind them before we like, share and get influenced by them?
The Future of Writing Travel
© Chan Joon Yee
