The wish to capture the wonder of nature on a smartphone or camera is understandable. People like the beauty of nature and also want to share with their followers, friends and family, but our relationship with the outdoors should not be centered around social media. The "do it for the ‘gram'" thought needs to be reconsidered.
Social media has undoubtedly helped attract more visitors to wild places. There are both good and bad sides that come with an increased visitation to these sites. Visiting nature and observing wildlife can help people feel more connected to wild plants and animals. These experiences may encourage more protection of natural spaces. Yet increased traffic to these sites has also caused them harm. Spaces that are ill-equipped to deal with too many visits experience environmental , which in turn can endanger those who take photos by putting them in dangerous situations. Search and rescue cases have increased by 38% in the last few years in LA County, some of which were connected to adventurers trying to capture photos for their social media. Deadly falls in the outdoors can and should be avoided with less photographing for social media.
Recently, one highly visited natural site stopped photography-only tours. Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona, will no longer be allowing visits that are centered around cameras. Handheld phones will still be allowed, but large tripods（三角架） and monopods（独脚架） will not be. This is a great first step that should be brought to other natural settings, especially in places that have already been completely photographed by professionals.
It is necessary to free ourselves from technology every once and a while. The unhealthy attachment（依恋） to photography and social media feeds has created problems for humans and nature, and should be replaced with practicing mindfulness while in the outdoors.
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