Our honeymoon starts this week, and I can’t wait to go. We’re headed to a part of the world neither of us have been before, which will make it feel like an adventure.
Naturally, we’re going to take a lot of pictures. But when it comes to sharing those pictures on social media, I feel hesitant for a few reasons.
Mainly, how much is too much?
These days, it feels normal to want to share something cool you’re seeing with other people. It’s almost harder to keep it to yourself.
But we all follow people who overshare their trips on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. And it can be annoying, because it sometimes feels more like they’re bragging than sharing. You’re like, “OK, I get it, geez. Good for you. Ugh.”
Plus, you start to wonder how much those people are actually taking the time to enjoy their trip versus just posting about it.
I don’t want to be “that guy” and I also don’t want people to think I’m ignoring my wife on our honeymoon by sharing on social media! Maybe I care too much about other people’s perceptions, but knowing my own views on vacation over-sharers, I’m quite conscious of it.
Still, I don’t know where the line is. Is it the sheer volume that makes vacation pictures cross from enjoyable to irritating, or is it the way they’re presented (the “look at me, look how great this is!” mentality)? I’m not sure.
I tend to err more on the conservative side of sharing trip photos, especially since many people following me are a lot of hard-working, blue-collar NASCAR fans who might not have the opportunity to rack up the frequent flyer miles and hotel points that result in free vacations (that’s how we travel).
The goal of sharing trip photos should be to bring your friends and followers along with you and give them a peek at what you’re seeing and experiencing so they can feel like they’re there, too. But if you go too far, you’re just rubbing it in and making people resent you.
So where’s the line? I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.