There’s nothing like climbing a quiet mountain at sunrise, only to find a line of influencers blocking the view while rehearsing exaggerated gasps for followers.

A closer look

You rise before dawn, hike through mist, and finally reach the mountaintop, ready for a soul-stirring sunrise. But instead of peace, you stumble into a battlefield of tripods, drones, and wide-eyed influencers practicing their ‘spontaneous’ gasps. The once-sacred view is now a carousel of camera angles, every rock and tree reduced to a hashtag backdrop. Travel has shifted from discovery to competition, where landscapes become props for curated feeds. Still, if you can squeeze past the selfie army, the sunrise remains—it just asks you to share the stage.