People take their aesthetic very seriously, maybe way too seriously in some cases. Social media and the influencers that use social media to connect with millions of users and— well, as their self-given title says— influence them aren’t setting the best example.
For instance, many influencers decided it would be a great photo opportunity to lay in the fields of wildflowers during the California Superbloom. Yeah, it makes sense that they would want to lay on a bunch of flowers that only bloom every 10 years. However, the flowers died shortly after they had lain on them, but at least they got the perfect shot for their Instagram and a boost to their fragile egos through the likes of people that have no idea the destruction that these influencers caused. Sadly, they did it for the “Gram,” I guess. Yeah, it makes total sense for us to go out there and destroy the natural world just for a nice picture and a couple of likes.
Come on, how ridiculous does that sound. With a generation that is all about saving the turtles with hydro flasks and metal straws, how can they not see the destruction that these influencers are causing? And you might say, “But Alexander, what about the aesthetic?” To be completely honest, I don’t care about your aesthetic. You know what I care about? Making sure that the beauties of nature are preserved for future generations to see. This isn’t even the end of these influencers’ actions. After killing these unique and rare flowers for a quick picture, they decided to pick a few of them and take them home. Did you know that you are not allowed to remove plant specimens from a national park? Well, that is exactly what they did and are doing.
Enough about the actions of these horrible individuals, though. I’d like to end this article on a happier note, so why don’t I teach you about how you can visit national parks without completely destroying the surrounding ecosystem when you take your photographs. Here is a simple principle that should help you and it is one that I have been using for pretty much my whole life: leave no trace. It a very simple statement. You should always leave a park as it was when you got there, if not cleaner. Throw out your trash in the proper receptacles and don’t take anything out of the park that you didn’t bring in with you in the first place. Another great way to think about it is when you go to leave a park, leave only footprints and take only memories.
