The oversharing of vacation photos

We have a social media thread, but this seems like a possible thread unto itself.

We have a friend from college. She is, to put it mildly, a Facebook over-sharer. She travels a lot for work, and accumulates miles, as well. Also, her and her husband do well, I believe.

Anyway, she constantly - and I mean constantly - posts from her travels. Currently, they are on an overseas trip, without their kids. She has posted at least 200-300 photos, including artfully set up shots of her and her husband gazing into each other's eyes over breakfast. (He gave her a tripod for Christmas.) And lots and lots and lots of food shots. And meaning-of-life soliloquys. You know the kind. ("Life. Grab it by the horns. So beautiful. So fleeting. Grasp it. Touch it. The stars. The sun. A stretch of untouched snow." It's not quite that bad. But it's close.)

I'm not one to tell other people how to enjoy themselves. If she wants to spend her entire vacation with her husband snapping photos and staring into her phone awaiting "likes," and that gives her more enjoyment than being "in the moment," more power to her.

But from your own observations, doesn't it get to be a bit ... much? I really feel like it's tone deaf when other people are struggling to put food on the table even. And also just embarrassingly exhibitionist at some point. (She does get a lot of "likes" and "comments," though, about her "amazing adventures" and what a "beautiful couple" they are. So maybe I'm off base.)

Last year, wife and I went on a vacation and had an agreement not to post or even log in to Facebook until we were back at home. Now, I'm questioning whether to ever post another damn photo again from a trip, during or after.

Just curious for some thoughts on the phenomenon. We've discussed the pitfalls of Twitter fighting and pressure to post politically. But what about this?

 

I feel really bad for you that you’re being physically restrained and forced to look at all of these photos.

 

Sign of a horribly insecure person/couple trying to compensate for something missing in their life/lives.

I have a friend/acquaintance who is constantly posting things like, "All I need to be complete is to be the best father/husband/brother/son/friend I can be." And it's invariably followed by his wife/daughter/sister/mother/friend commenting, "You are great! I'm so proud of you!" Which, I suppose, is probably the point of it all, to draw that kind of feedback and pat-on-the-head approval.

It's all harmless, but still it's worthless white noise.

 

Better than spending your vacation overposting on SJ.com.

 

Why do you care?

If you don’t want to see them, you can hide them from your feed, can’t you?

Don’t stress yourself out over it.

 

I'm not stressed.

 

“Prayers sent.”

 

I'm pretty sure psychologists have researched the phenomenon and this is exactly the conclusion they have reached.

 

Better than posting a shot of every meal you eat. Especially vegan meals.

 

Yes, it should go without saying I'm an armchair psychologist and there's a 99 percent chance I'm completely full of shit.

 

Dick, did your friend post photos of herself doing yoga on the beach or some other exotic locale?

No pretentious digital vacation album is complete without those.

 

this thread is useless without (examples of the) photos. [/crossthread]