It is apparent to us in today’s thriving world of claimed photographers, outdoor enthusiasts and said wanderlust-seeking individuals that the title of “outdoor enthusiast” seems to be thrown around in vague meaning. In no association with the labelling or any preconceived judgements, we were curious to understand from our community the difference between adventurers (the people that have scaled the lands in history and today) and the people who seek instant gratification, “instafame” or other means of short term pleasure and acknowledgement. In discussions with Obaid Al Budoor and Jameela Ahli, we have gotten their insights on efficient documentation of the outdoors, how to paint the right picture to the readers and living in the present moment of travel.
Considering the trend rise of people being fascinated by the ethnic groups and the association with the desert, should limits be set to those who seek a short term approach and empathy to share the knowledge, customs and traditions of these groups? How can justified content be created that showcases them in a better light?
[Jameela]: I don't think limits should be set to those who don't pay the effort to do basic research about a culture or ethnic groups. That is something we cannot control or even lose our energy on. I think it should be our job as a community not to shed light on shallow narratives, and to focus instead on promoting the ones that are paying the effort to share real more meaningful stories of the cultures and ethnic groups. This way we would train viewers to identify and differentiate between false/shallow narratives and identify stories that are deeper, more reliable, trustworthy, and authentic.
[Obaid]: I don’t think limits should be set, because I personally do not agree with the short term way of doing things. But one show's credibility the more they are invested with time, research and intention. I think it is better for people to be a little more honest about their aim and intention for whatever it is they are pursuing. That way those who know better can instruct, and those who know less will learn. That, I think, can create a better feedback loop to enhance.
In light of social conformity and understanding that humanity derives meaning from a sense of belonging. Do you expect that the community will still be developing this content if they did not have social media to showcase their work? We see an influx of the society run to new locations just to say “they got the photo” and to go “viral”. Would this still be the case if these platforms did not exist?
[Jameela]: Wandering is something that has existed since the beginning of humanity and for several reasons that change over centuries . Be it search for food and shelter, or finding instagrammable content. It is hard to tell what people's motives are and to understand whether they would still explore for the thrill of it or just for posts. Even if owning a camera, without social media, would still be a good enough motive to go to a location. I think if we remove photography out of the equation, then I do believe in my personal opinion, the number of people going out and about might decrease, but I know a lot of people who are naturally very curious to see and explore places to see things with their own eyes and experience things firsthand. And I think you can identify and differentiate between the curious wanderers and the just-for-clicks ones if you look a bit more closely.
[Obaid]: I really think social media pushed people to create more content than ever. It may be a starting point for many (myself included). There was a time where I would also go to shoot to check a place off the list, but as my love and appreciation for land has deepened, so has my desire to give it the credit it deserves. I believe I would not have reached this position if I have not gone through that chain of mindsets. It is a continually evolving process, and I hope social media gets them started, but genuine interest takes them there. But, I think if social media did not exist, the adventurous soul has been alive as far as history can remember. Those who are called to nature and the outdoors will be tugged at their very essence to do so. Everything else is a minor (how, when, where) because those people know the "why" they go there.
To bank on the 21st century’s most discussed topic of “millennials”, do you agree that some prefer their said outdoor enthusiasm to be delivered to them? This meaning they do not run their own research, they feel a sense of entitlement towards the outdoors that in return makes it seem like an empty void, a soulless outdoor experience - strictly done to capitalise on the likes. What makes someone a documenter of the outdoors?
[Jameela]: I have seen a lot of this sense of entitlement not just from millennials. People in general expect things to be delivered to them directly. These are the ones that I cannot trust for example, with remote locations. They do not understand the effort that real explorers go through to find the places. The research behind it. Getting into your car and driving for hours not knowing what you might find. Another thing they don't understand is how remote and secluded those locations are. Meaning there are no official bodies taking care of it in terms of cleaning the area or providing information on it, which makes it ten times harder to share a location with the general public. Because once it goes viral, these locations get polluted and the nature is ruined. The type of people with the sense of entitlement are the ones that 'demand' for the locations and these are the ones that really lack the wandering culture or the basics of being outdoors. Because if they are true outdoor enthusiasts, they would have understood why things are not handed to them on a golden plate.
We have another type of entitled 'outdoor enthusiasts' the ones that would not share a location for all the wrong reasons, e.g. I found it so it is mine. Which feeds the general public's sense of entitlement and gives them the wrong impression of why real outdoor enthusiasts don't share a location, which is very sad.
Overall, I think this is a complex subject, but real outdoor enthusiasts could identify each other. I believe they should keep doing what they're doing while promoting the 101s/ethics of being outdoors so we can spread the culture and make people understand what it is all about.
[Obaid]: I’m sure there is a group of people who enjoy consuming the outdoors through methods like screens or alternative experiential modes. I don't blame them however, since everything is always available to everyone, a larger portion would be interested to a small degree. Again, the hope is that these small interests ignite the spark that enables them to be enthralled with the all-powerful yet gentle embrace of nature. I think for someone to be a documenter of the outdoors there are specific traits that must be so obvious and apparent that there is no possibility of denying it:
1) True passion; the fire that lights in their eyes when they speak of even the tiniest particles of the outdoors.
2) An unending craving; to know more, to discover more, to make sense of it all, until the dots align. This is crucial, as laziness is a hindrance in documenting the essence of the outdoors (unless it’s at camp by night!)
3) Communication is key. Either within the photos they capture, the matter they write about, the mountain trail they will talk about. If we assume the core of documenting the outdoors is to provide inspiration and knowledge to others and communication is lacking - then you have done a disservice to the feel you had, to the subject matter and to the curiosity of those who were potentially interested.
If the previous content has raised any questions regarding authenticity, how to develop conscious acts around protecting the outdoor culture or any further concerns you can reach out on info@wander.ae
