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Is Social Media Undermining and Distorting Actual Wilderness Experiences?

Glenn MacGrady

Glenn MacGrady

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". . . Bill Mason’s legacy is no doubt boosting the sales of Prospector canoes to this day. But for the most part, these old-schoolers’ books, films and in-person lectures were the product. The audience paid for them directly, and their value was intrinsic, not measured by how well they could churn other people’s widgets. Nowadays, the content you get for free is just the shiny thing Alphabet Inc. uses in its bait-and-switch gambit. You thought you were learning about the wilderness, but actually, you’re being pitched air freshener. And if you want to glow in your Instagram posts like those burly outdoorsfolk, better use this discount code for Athletic Greens."

paddlingmag.com

How Social Media Is Redefining—And Maybe Undermining—Wilderness Adventure

Has the wild heart of backcountry travel been lost to the pursuit of fame and followers?
paddlingmag.com paddlingmag.com
 
I am not sure what crowd is watching these extreme outings. I know I do not have any interest in them. I do try to record my canoe trips so I will have the content to review when I can no longer get out there. I share them on YouTube in the hope that I can tempt others to follow me to some new places. Only a few are able to attract a modest following with canoeing videos. Paddlers want to paddle.
 
I read this article a couple of months ago and couldn’t find it until this morning. I have a lot of opinions on this topic and I’ve changed my post twice now. Everything seems to be made for views and less about the passion. I think a lot of these influencers ARE passionate, but the followers or payments seem to change the focus to a different direction. A link to their Amazon or a kickback for using their name at checkout for a bluetti, phone app, or supplement. I have friends who do this, not at the scale of many, but it’s annoying when everything we do something the camera comes out, or they include a sponsor on a post. It’s nice to be present for that moment and for nothing else.

Social media is great to showcase those who otherwise might be left in the shadows, but it’s also a curse that Everyone can be in the spotlight as an expert.
 
The internet is full of crap written by people in an office building somewhere. I like this forum because the participants have a great wealth of experience and are well read on the subjects. When we old farts pass on, the world will be full of little plastic kayaks and 12 foot canoes.
 
Well there ya go, an internet article all about how and why we should all be uninfluenced by internet personas. Ha.
(I actually didn't read the whole blab article. I caught the gist of the rant in the first couple paragraphs. Maybe there was a gem of insight hidden in there somewhere but I doubt it.)
I have no idea who the "popular" Luke is they're referring to, but that is in fact my point. Vloggers are a dime a dozen, offering epic faux dramas or quaint knitting chats by the fireside, and everything inbetween. Something for everyone with different (or no) tastes. There-in lies the treasure(s).
A second-hand library of well used interests. We can pick and choose, or choose to ignore altogether. I myself will pull the occasional vlog title "off the shelf" to sample. Usually I check the blogger/vlogger home page for a brief bio so I can first "judge the book by the cover". Most I reject, a few I stash for further exploring at a later date. Some of them I watch with the sound disabled, the visual experience far outweighs the diary dialogue. Other times the narration is well worth the full show.
Vlogs have taken me armchair travelling to places I know I'll never get to experience; sailing my own wooden ketch in French Polynesia, interpreting an archeology dig in the Outer Hebrides, paddling the interior wilds of Newfoundland...and many more. To each their own.
Recently I've watched some paddling which helped me "scout out" some future routes. Those were influential.
 
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ppine said:
The internet is full of crap written by people in an office building somewhere. I like this forum because the participants have a great wealth of experience and are well read on the subjects. When we old farts pass on, the world will be full of little plastic kayaks and 12 foot canoes.
Click to expand...
.....and a bunch of people with no concept of map and compass......
 
The influencers aren’t the people I want to hear from. I’m curious about the non-self-promoters, those whose quiet voices are drowned out by the content firehose, and I don’t know where to find them anymore.
Click to expand...

Anybody tell him about this place?

Oh, wait.....
I think he might be a kayaker.
 
I love the irony of that article having links for sharing it to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest right at the top. And according to my browser's built-in ad blocker there were 10 advertisements. It's just another example of media peddling outrage instead of information. And it works because people would rather be outraged than informed.
 
I don't know much about influencers, but I do see a lot of crappy content on the internet. The stuff that bugs me the most is beginners, in any activity, doing "how to" videos. About the only stuff I watch are tripping videos done by skilled experienced people. The author of the article called these type videos dry and boring. He may be right, if you think an accurate portrayal of a canoe trip is boring maybe they aren't for you. I like them for the content showing where and how other people trip. They are relaxing and I watch them to help me fall asleep sometime. I have a lot of respect for people that make the good ones. They take an activity that is hard and make it even harder by filming it. Carrying the extra weight of camera equipment and taking time to set up shots must take a lot of energy.
 
I've pretty well stopped watching vlogs for the simple fact that far to many of them can put people in risky or downright dangerous positions due to false information or lack of experience, especially in the more remote activities like canoe tripping or winter camping. One idiot was even stating that all you needed for winter trekking was a pair of good boots and a couple of blankets and looked down on anyone bringing snowshoes, tents, tarps, or even proper clothing, that idiot claimed I knew nothing after having over 6 decades experience and living under canvas for 2 entire winters...
 
I still watch a few favorite creators, especially if they're tripping someplace I would consider going myself (although it irritates me that most are vague as to where they are, what time of year, etc) and I agree that there are too many armchair experts out there.

The flipside of that, of course, is the idiot who looks at me and tells me "Canada's DANGEROUS!!!". Really?... you been there?... I thought not (but it's probably best that you stay home.)

...taking time to set up shots must take a lot of energy.
Click to expand...
It takes a LOT of time & energy. I filmed a few trips early on figuring that I'd edit the video & post to YouTube but, in my experience, the constant fiddling around with equipment, paddling back & forth to set up shots & then retrieve cameras really took away from the enjoyment of exploring and talking to a camera really cut into the solitude.

The GoPros became an unusually needy tripping partner so I didn't invite them on the last couple of trips. I really enjoy being back to solo.
 
As each year passes, more and more people with little experience are making videos telling the rest of us how to do things. That includes canoeing and wilderness travel. There are way too many outlets for articles, and not nearly enough people that know what they are talking about.

My girl is a free lance writer that works from home. For a time she got paid to write blogs, about all kinds of things like installing asphalt, dental procedures, the cost of insurance. She had no experience in any of those fields but took the time to do research. After awhile she knew a lot about asphalt and dental surgery. Plenty of blog writers just wing it.
 
The influencers like Bairds, Canoe the North, Lost Lakes, Ben Beauchamp, Tumblehome, etc appeal to us because it’s something we’re all passionate about. Some of them are more skilled than others, some we see grow their paddling skills, some disclose the area and most of them all have something to sell. They talk about it in their videos, or before the video starts. “A quick shout out to ___, without __ this trip wouldn’t be what it is”. Some of them don’t need to go to work anymore because they make enough money from YouTube now. I watch them for inspiration, guidance, and as mentioned above they’re relaxing.

I think something linked to this topic is being overlooked. I appreciate when people don’t mention where they are other than the park or part of the world. As much as I want to know, I don’t want the masses going. People, yes! I want everyone to experience something good but I want the least amount of destruction more. I see it locally and in much larger scaled areas. As my home continues to grow, I see our local trails and waterways filled with trash and disrespect to the area. As influencers continue to mention these amazing areas, more and more people will go and stampede the ground.

We rebuilt a parking lot at work two summers ago, all gravel, the footprint was the same, I cut the only tree down (6” W. Pine), and we included water runoff. We got a ton of hate mail for it but it was actually smaller than where people were parking in the grass and over protected plants, and tp in the weeds. We made a looped lot, making it possible for trailers to enter/exit and water to escape. Oh and parking bumpers since nobody knows how to park. We had to do that because of the amount of social media posts talking about “you won’t believe it until you see it” “The best N. MI hike you Must do”. Those social media posts weren’t helping the local businesses, but instead to their Amazon storefronts.

They sell and area and they sell a product. It’s business, but it’s a cheap way of doing it. I’d rather see them recommend a waterway or trail or gym but advertise for the local business they supported.
 
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In answer to the OP question, social media is only unduly influencing the naive and inexperienced wilderness curious, otherwise those with heaps of critical thinking skills regardless of their outdoor experience can sift thru the bs for the tidbits of actual useful facts.
While all influencers are content providers, not all content providers are influencers. Aside from the Lifestyle Influencers there exists other types of audiovisual record keepers. Personal & family diarsists, amateur documentaries, audiovisual artscapes, cultural travel escapists, etc.
Not forgetting paid providers of adventure traveller facts and needful links usefull to paddlers plans. There's something for everyone.
It comes down to picking and choosing what you want/need for your virtual needs. Entirely subjective as always.
 
An influencer is someone who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience. Influencers are usually active on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, X, TikTok, and Instagram.

Typically, each influencer is known for a specific niche—be it fashion, travel, gaming, beauty, cooking, fitness, or any other interest area. They create content around their niche, and people who follow them are interested in that particular topic.
 
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