Watching my favorite hidden waterfall become a social media hotspot.

Its magic faded when the crowds arrived.

3 comments

3 Comments

I read that the Blue Hole in New Mexico had to install reservations and shuttle services after visitor numbers tripled in five years, all from social media posts. It feels like we've entered an era where discovery is immediately followed by exploitation, turning serene spots into crowded attractions. The desire to share overshadows the responsibility to protect, and ecosystems suffer from the foot traffic alone. That transformation from sanctuary to stage is a loss for everyone, even the folks who just wanted a cool photo. We're collectively forgetting how to have a private moment with nature without needing an audience for it.

tara_flores9233m ago

Stopped geotagging precise spots after a quiet creek got overrun. If you want to share, use vague descriptions or just the region, it makes a difference.

-2

seth_wells494h ago

Man, this hits hard. Used to be all about geotagging every cool place I found, thought it was just sharing the stoke. But then my own secret camping spot got overrun last summer, completely lost its peace. Now I see how that quiet magic gets trampled by foot traffic and noise. Watching a place turn from a personal sanctuary into a crowded photo op is genuinely heartbreaking. That experience totally shifted my perspective on keeping some spots offline.