What Should We Do About Instagram
Colonialism?
Social Media Is Ruining Tourism Hot Spots Like Tulum—And Even If We Don’t Stop Traveling, We Can Stop Posting
This summer, a record-breaking, estimated 220 million U.S. tourists—85% of American adults—have been on the move. Many of them will head to Tulum, Mexico, which I also recently visited. Businesses across Tulum cater directly to U.S. tourists’ Instagram accounts. They offer decorative twinkle lights to provide flattering lighting, swings instead of seats, and neon signs—like the bright pink cursive at a bar on the town’s main drag that declares, “I’m in Tulum, Bitches!”
Where tourism was once a way to broaden our horizons and gain a deeper understanding of other cultures, …
