Has theme park culture gone too far?

Tamandua

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Depends on your definition of fun. I like to save up my own money and go visit the parks once or twice a year as a treat. It makes me feel like I've earned it. I wouldn't want to go week after week carrying around a camera trying to find things to talk about and having the pressure of creating new content then later having to edit it. That's not what going to Disneyland is about for me. It's a place to get away from my job/life, not a place that becomes it.

I too don't understand why people give these vloggers money. I'd rather spend my money going there myself rather than paying others to do it for me. Then again, I'm sure there are things that I do spend money on that others wouldn't understand why I do, so I guess that's all part of the diversity of the human race.
That's the thing... I don't think they really are having fun. I think it's a compulsion. I saw the ordinary adventures couple at CA once sitting down to eat with all their gear sprawled out on the table and they didn't look happy. They looked fairly miserable.
 

CaptinEO

Well-Known Member
Whats worse than that are the people who don't even go to the parks, but instead sit on their couches filming themselves regurgitating theme park "news and rumors" they've read online (mainly from boards like these)... and somehow act like they're doing the world a service, and you should definitely financially support them through Patreon!
Honestly I have to say as much as I don't like either of them

(The only news source is Disney Parks Blog folks...)

That I'd much prefer someone repeating news at home then ruining someone else's theme park trip.

Right before the shut down and even the one time I went to DtD, I saw so many vloggers that I'm worried it may become a serious problem.

I'm not hating on the people doing it, I know they aren't trying to be rude, just not everyone wants cameras and TV shows being filmed everywhere.
 

CaptinEO

Well-Known Member
I can't fault bloggers for scamming people if they'll give them money and they can work the system. I mean, that's America. If you aren't making money, you're doing it wrong.
I don't think they are scamming or misleading anyone. I'm sure the people are nice enough, I just don't like the idea of a bunch of people hosting imaginary shows inside Disneyland.
 

Tamandua

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am not going all over it again. I had a detailed rant a while ago. but it comes down to flat out taking advantage of your audience.
I do recall watching the video where they announced their Patreon and it felt manipulative. They prefaced it by saying no one's watching theme park videos or going to movies during the pandemic, so therefore both of their businesses were in a downturn. Pretty tasteless and cringe if you ask me.

But overall I think it's a good point that the multitudes of vloggers are the worst aspect of theme park culture, and the ridiculous food is only part of the problem. It wouldn't be a problem at all if it didn't feel like vlogger bait. The pickle hotdog feels like it was designed to generate 1000 YouTube "You'll never believe what we ate at Disney!" clickbait videos.
 

1HAPPYGHOSTHOST

Well-Known Member
I do recall watching the video where they announced their Patreon and it felt manipulative. They prefaced it by saying no one's watching theme park videos or going to movies during the pandemic, so therefore both of their businesses were in a downturn. Pretty tasteless and cringe if you ask me.

But overall I think it's a good point that the multitudes of vloggers are the worst aspect of theme park culture, and the ridiculous food is only part of the problem. It wouldn't be a problem at all if it didn't feel like vlogger bait. The pickle hotdog feels like it was designed to generate 1000 YouTube "You'll never believe what we ate at Disney!" clickbait videos.
I agree with you.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Whats worse than that are the people who don't even go to the parks, but instead sit on their couches filming themselves regurgitating theme park "news and rumors" they've read online (mainly from boards like these)... and somehow act like they're doing the world a service, and you should definitely financially support them through Patreon!

A couple years ago a Youtuber ripped off one of my comments, and the comments of a few others, on a different Disneyland fan site verbatim. This same Youtuber has a Patreon.

If someone's going to ask for money for talking about theme parks they should probably do a bit better then saying the stuff I say.
 

truecoat

Well-Known Member
A couple of years ago a Youtuber ripped off one of my comments, and the comments of a few others, on a different Disneyland fan site verbatim. This same Youtuber has a Patreon.

If someone's going to ask for money for talking about theme parks they should probably do a bit better than saying the stuff I say.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
A couple of years ago a Youtuber ripped off one of my comments, and the comments of a few others, on a different Disneyland fan site verbatim. This same Youtuber has a Patreon.

If someone's going to ask for money for talking about theme parks they should probably do a bit better than saying the stuff I say.

I am not going all over it again. I had a detailed rant a while ago. but it comes down to flat out taking advantage of your audience.
 

Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
To me the problem is we now live in a world that everything has to be IG or vlog worthy and everyone races to be among the first to get that photo or get that POV which makes it nearly impossible for those of us that actually want to experience the thing without feeling the need to post about it to do so.
 

smooch

Well-Known Member
Don't wanna give off the whole "hate my generation" edgy vibe but everything being IG or vlog worthy is very annoying. I don't post anything to my stories or livestream anything unless I rarely post a story of a record I'm playing just for myself to save and keep track of my listening habits. I know of many people I went to school with who have started vlog channels, stream themselves hanging out with friends on IG, streaming vacations, etc. and it just seems exhausting to me. Like aside from the fact that I don't really share what's going on in my personal life online (aside from here because it's anonymous) especially on a public social media account, I don't like random people being able to know my business. There are some aspects of this culture in theme parks that can be nice like some of the "Instagram-worthy snacks" have actually been cool looking / tasty, but there is so much more from this culture that I dislike.

I've seen people vlogging in WDW and at DLR and while they weren't right next to me screaming in my ear so they weren't being disruptive to me it just doesn't seem like I would enjoy it. I do like watching some park vlogs from a small handful of channels to be honest so I'm not gonna hate on the people who aren't screaming in a child's TV show voice, I like more sincere, down to earth vlogs where it feels like a person and their friends hanging out (I don't watch solo park vlogs) and you're there too.
 

Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Don't wanna give off the whole "hate my generation" edgy vibe but everything being IG or vlog worthy is very annoying. I don't post anything to my stories or livestream anything unless I rarely post a story of a record I'm playing just for myself to save and keep track of my listening habits. I know of many people I went to school with who have started vlog channels, stream themselves hanging out with friends on IG, streaming vacations, etc. and it just seems exhausting to me. Like aside from the fact that I don't really share what's going on in my personal life online (aside from here because it's anonymous) especially on a public social media account, I don't like random people being able to know my business. There are some aspects of this culture in theme parks that can be nice like some of the "Instagram-worthy snacks" have actually been cool looking / tasty, but there is so much more from this culture that I dislike.

I've seen people vlogging in WDW and at DLR and while they weren't right next to me screaming in my ear so they weren't being disruptive to me it just doesn't seem like I would enjoy it. I do like watching some park vlogs from a small handful of channels to be honest so I'm not gonna hate on the people who aren't screaming in a child's TV show voice, I like more sincere, down to earth vlogs where it feels like a person and their friends hanging out (I don't watch solo park vlogs) and you're there too.

We seem of a similar mindset :)
I occasionally post on FB and IG and I have a Youtube channel but have never posted a vlog but rather a few what's in my suitcase/park bag as I find those videos to be extremely fun to watch and make.
There's also 4 channels that are Disney vlog/home vlog orientated but they've been the ones I've consistently watched for YEARS and I watch them more for the people than for what they are doing.
I'd love to vlog a trip with my sister because we have a lot of fun and I think it would be a fun time to watch back and for others to enjoy but at the same time its WORK to film things and I think the trip would become less enjoyable if we had to turn on the camera every few minutes to capture something instead of being in the moment experiencing it.
What I have found so true is that the more someone posts on social media about the great things in their life the less happy they probably are in real life.
 

smooch

Well-Known Member
We seem of a similar mindset :)
I occasionally post on FB and IG and I have a Youtube channel but have never posted a vlog but rather a few what's in my suitcase/park bag as I find those videos to be extremely fun to watch and make.
There's also 4 channels that are Disney vlog/home vlog orientated but they've been the ones I've consistently watched for YEARS and I watch them more for the people than for what they are doing.
I'd love to vlog a trip with my sister because we have a lot of fun and I think it would be a fun time to watch back and for others to enjoy but at the same time its WORK to film things and I think the trip would become less enjoyable if we had to turn on the camera every few minutes to capture something instead of being in the moment experiencing it.
What I have found so true is that the more someone posts on social media about the great things in their life the less happy they probably are in real life.
Yeah I definitely agree, the few people I watch vlogs of in the parks I also watch their videos outside of Disney so I mostly watch for the person themselves as you said rather than what they're doing. I only have one YouTube video posted just of a clip of a concert I went to a bit before the pandemic, it was one of my favorite bands doing a cover of a song by another one of my favorite bands cause they were performing in the other bands hometown. It has like 560k views and honestly all the notifications of comments and subscribers just annoy me. I recorded it for myself, I like to record some of my favorite songs at shows but I sometimes don't get good recordings cause I just hold my phone to my chest and watch the actual performance instead of through the screen, but it's still fun to have something to look back on while also having enjoyed the moment in person, like you say you want to vlog a trip to look back on.

I don't think anyone recording an experience is inherently attention seeking, you and I and others just want to have memories to look back on, but the people who are obnoxious and obviously recording with the intention of uploading and getting clout and views bothers me. I used to try to get as many likes on pictures I posted on Instagram of my clothes and outfits and such but it's draining, the numbers are meaningless and now I haven't posted in 4 years and will only post again if I happen to get nice pictures of moments I would like to share and basically to catalogue my adventures for myself and not necessarily to showcase my life to others.
 

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