The Soup, The Steak & an Instagram Kit: Too Far?
Maybe I am just looking at it wrong. Maybe it is because I am a photographer and spend so many hours every day with a camera in my hand. Maybe it is because I am an old soul, but is this a step too far?
This morning I read this aritcle on stylist.co.uk after food, travel and car journalist Melanie May of www.melaniemay.com I can recommend a trip to read her work. It sickens me there are people who have all the craic of top gear and get to stuff themselves too. ;)
Okay, back to the Instagram kits with your dinner. So the Kit consists of a battery pack, LED light, Lens stick on for your phone and a Tripod Selfie Stick.
From a business sense, of course there are positives. Every visit is logged, you get free social media content. In fact, your customers are paying you to take photographs of the food they paid for. The content is as good as it will get from each individual person and your interactions with customers goes up.
At what cost though? Doesn't it just feed into the Gap between who we feel we are and who we think the rest of the world expects us to be? Does it fuel the need we have to display the perfect life on social media in order to keep up with the people we follow? This inherent requirement to show plumage like a strutting peacock.
What damage does this do to us individually? Do we sacrifice our individuality for the sake of showing off to others? Do we create a sense of insignificance within ourselves if we don't conform to social pressures?
Is it a step too far? or am I just getting too old?