A 2017 survey found that 73 percent of social media users find it annoying when they see other people's vacation photos online. These people want authentic experiences shared and not the perfection of moments.
As a result, more users are opting out of social sharing and looking to connect with the real world.
We find that millennials are looking to unplug with a vengeance, even though they are a generation that sports the highest number of social profiles and knows only the “connected” world.
One millennial, Zach Beattie, has taken up this challenge and created a travel business called Off The Grid.
The new company recently made news with its unique business model. Off The Grid offers a "phone-free" vacation that gives travelers a chance to socialize in person and make real connections.
Beattie admitted that he is a former phone addict who wanted out. He uses his personal experiences to create tours to connect real people. Some of his traditional ideas include journaling, reading, coffee and conversation.
Professional photographers will accompany the group so that they are not bothered about capturing the best shots for social media. Their phones are stowed away, and they get a burner phone or "dumb phone" for emergencies.
While the company is getting a lot of response from millennials, it claims that people of all ages have been applying.
Why unplug?
More instances of unplugging are coming into the limelight. Authentic, user-generated content is at the forefront of communications today.
Marketers need to study the new behavior pattern. There is no place for the irrelevant and artificial on a newsfeed. There is no end-all, be-all approach to social media marketing. One must evolve to survive.
Some of the core millennial behaviors that precede this movement are:
- Millennial consumers value in-person connections more than social connections.
- They do not look at owning products as status symbols. Rather, they value share-worthy experiences and authentic connections.
Millennials have disrupted every industry. Businesses are reinventing themselves to keep pace with their changing customer natures, including in travel and hospitality.
We see this trend impacting the camping world. Millennials and Gen Xers make up three-quarters of all campers in the U.S. This industry and related businesses have updated amenities in recent years and offer things like increased access to Wi-Fi and cell service.
However, the young don’t feel lost without Wi-Fi anymore. They like to switch off social media, and what’s a better way to do that but in the heart of nature?
