Outdoorsy Adventures and Culture References
In general, I am less active on social media than many of my Millennial peers; for example, I only have a Facebook, and am not present on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. In addition, my posts on Facebook are relatively rare (probably around 2 a month) and consist almost entirely of quotes, TV show references, or pictures of my life.
All of my pictures are taken with a phone, and none of them are selfies; rather, almost all of my recent photos (i.e. within the last 18 months) depict me outside, either alone or with a group of people, or are simply a photo of the outdoors with no people in them whatsoever. In most cases, the photos are in albums, but regardless of whether they’re in an album or posted singularly, they will usually have a location attached. Because of this, it is safe to say that my trips could be easily tracked on a map, and my preferences for outdoorsy adventures, TV shows, and music could be determined. Some of my pictures are below.
All of these photos (taken at either State or National Parks) were captioned only with the location, and were posted shortly after visiting these areas. However, this small sample does not accurately represent my photo collection; a vast majority (a quick scan says well over half) of my posted photos contain no people whatsoever, as I prefer taking shots of the landscape since I consider myself to be non-photogenic. 🙂
Posting photos like these allows for easy targeted advertising from companies that sell outdoor wear or gear, like REI, North Face, Coleman, etc., since it is obvious that I would benefit from their use and would most likely buy such products. Further, travel sites or places wishes to advertise tourism might target me because of my apparent tendency to travel. In addition, adding my location allows for local or nearby businesses to target me, as well.
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Don’t sell yourself short; you’re still part of the Millennial world! All three of your photos still qualify as “selfies!”
Irregardless, you made me think of an interesting question based on the fact that most of your photos are scenery. As you are probably aware, Facebook now has face-detecting technology so they suggest whom to tag in your photos. You made me wonder if Facebook is also capable of detecting locations, even if we are not the ones who type them in.
Obviously our smartphones are aware of the location we take them and you mentioned your photos are taken exclusively on your phone. However, if we were to use a camera, as some do, and then upload to Facebook, would Facebook still be able to identify where we go sight-seeing and adjust our ads accordingly?
First of all, I’m a little jealous of all your travels because I love visiting state and national parks. Something to think about is when thinking about the persuasive ad pictures what would appeal more to you: a picture of a particular product from an outdoor company, the product in use or a mere scenic picture that pictures the brand name discreetly in the picture?