Film Documentary: The Reality of #Vanlife - Make me Instagram Famous!

Have I been living under a rock?

Do incognito people "lecture" and share their feelings to a multitude of random strangers hoping to get virtually famous? How far have social media twisted people's minds?

When I accidentally watched the film documentary "The Reality of #VanLife", it made me think of what actually drives today's youth: is it to live new experiences, meet new cultures and places or there is a wider necessity of sharing those experiences virtually with unknown people? When a new experience is so fulfilling and life-changing, it is because people are showing to others what they're doing and therefore seeking recognition and validation, or because people are in fact experiencing new and revitalizing evolution cycles?

This documentary, produced by an ex van dweller explores all the setbacks and mishaps lived for those who have chosen to live in vans while traveling across countries. The particularity of this film is the focus that the producer gives to the use of  Instagram while jamming out in the van-life. In other words, the role played by Instagram in the lives of these wandering crowd.

As a personal disclaimer, I must acknowledge that I truly love road trips and have had wonderful wild camping experiences where I surely lacked some hygiene conditions, comfort and warm meals - some of the major issues faced by van dwellers, according to the documentary. However, all of these trips were carefully chosen during summertime and during a period of no longer than a week or so. There was no social media updates of these experiences, though. Yet, it is undeniable that there is nothing more liberating than roaming around with no clear destination.

Where is this urge to disclose privacy so instantaneously coming from? 

Sure, there is, naturally, a number of family, friends and acquaintances on social media (with whom one can obviously talk and exchange messages in total privacy), but Instagram in particular seems to be a virtual branding factory. Apparently, this is why today's youth are so eager and committed to expose their lives online. They believe if they post as much of their lives (or fabricated lives) they can eventually be sponsored or they will reach an astronomic number of followers and become famous. What is the cost of these actions? First and foremost, Instagramers are putting out personal content for everyone to see and potentially misuse it. All-in-one, it represents a tacit renounce to privacy. In today's world with massive big data investments and rising cyber-security threats, renouncing to privacy can be a dangerous idea.

In my life, I have met a number of genuinely spiritual people who have led wandering lives - always with a goal in sight - but who have always refrained from sharing any aspect of their lives across the digital realm. They didn't have to show off they were following a plant-based diet, that they were recycling or renouncing to plastic, that they were travelling the world and had reached the peak of the Southern Alps, that they were gradually experiencing the effects of Ayahuasca or that they were practicing meditation on a daily basis. These were personal and liberating accomplishments.

Watch the full documentary here.

Here's some of the most poignant comments from Youtube users, directly on the full documentary The Reality of #Vanlife:

• "If you just like camping and living in a vehicle but don't have an Instagram, do you still exist?"

• "Glad to see the final product. I think most people understand that social media isn't an accurate representation of reality. There were some funny bits taking the piss out of van life. Van life is still in my opinion, one of the best ways to travel by land." 

• "Van life is NOT a young persons thing, that is a misconception, because of social media. Vanlife has been around since the 60s. I am 53, I live and travel in my van, fulltime. The #, is what has made it more acceptable to live this lifestyle. Great video."

• "Social media created a very shallow generation of young people who only care about themselves and likes..."

• "If you allow yourself to be influenced by influencers on social media, you get what you deserve."

What is their strategy?

First, Instagramers need to create a virtual identity and progressively shape it. Identities can be revealed in the form of the traveler, the runner or sports addicted, the animal lover, the family pack, the zen, the food lover, etc, etc,. Afterwards, they have to continuously "entertain" people to ensure they will remain followers and engage with their media. Social media platforms like Instagram do make sense when you're marketing a product, it is, in fact, the best social media network for that purpose. I tend to see wannabes (Instagramers) as marketing themselves as the "product", in the pursuit of glory and fame. Is this correct?

Youtubers are another breed. These people actually have to show themselves in front of the camera and present content to their audience. It's more real, more genuine and it takes charisma for them to be cherished by random people who ought to identify somewhat with them. In fact, to produce a decent vlog on Youtube it does require a certain level of skills whereas a single picture can be a master at contriving reality, genuineness and charisma.

Personal insights

I do have Instagram but I'm far from being a frequent user. If I go there twice per month it's already too much. There are months when I literally forget I have an Instagram account. I created an account in 2012 but I never saw the point of using it as at the time I was a frequent Facebook user. It did not seem logical to me to use both platforms, repeating the shared media.

Over time, and as I got to learn more and more about how intrusive Facebook (which also owns Instagram) is, I decided to progressively stop using it. After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, oh boy, I realised that I would not voluntarily be part of a virtual mass experiment and a guinea-pig. I drastically cut my presence on Facebook with the exception of posting a song every two months or so. I realised that I truly don't need Facebook to keep in contact with my family and friends. Since I moved abroad for the past 5 years, one could think that it would be handy. It's not.

The truth is, I use a lot of Whatsapp, yet my notifications are all turned off. Since Whatsapp is equally owned by Facebook, I do have my doubts about the real privacy policy of Whatsapp and its encrypted messages, but at least, I'm sharing what I want to share with whom I want to share.

It is understandable, though, that people become somehow addicted to the use of social media. These online networks are made to create dependency and addiction and they are ruling the web. Side effects like isolation and mental health problems have been linked to the use of social media and its instant gratification feeling coming from "likes", "followers", "comments" or any other type of engagement. Moreover, the so-called FOMO (fear of missing out) seems to be another of the several reasons for folks to continuing posting, scrolling down and liking media as in a way of saying: "Hey, I'm here, don't you forget that I exist."

I wonder if social media networks will end up disappearing or whether they'll develop into something else. For the good sake of today's children, I *secretly* wish that these online platforms become obsolete not to ruin a kid's childhood. Yet, I realise that technology always as a way of coming back in different forms and shapes. It's up to us to be mentally strong and decide how and when to use social media as productively and genuinely as possible.

Soundtrack from the movie Into the Wild. Music by Eddie Vedder. 

Food: what's on your plate?

Article published in Cafebabel

Prevention of food waste is a major ambition that needs the collaboration of all intervenientes in society. © Flickr Sundaram + Annam

Food, the engine that drives our daily lives, is currently a hot plate on the agendas of EU leaders. We rely on this basic commodity and almost take it for granted but it has been commonly understood and agreed that we have to protect and secure our basic needs.

In the era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) food security is a priority and the European Union as a global actor is playing a key role conducting a research framework building on a set of food security priorities. EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas has put in place an ambitious agenda for food policy and environmental issues. This initiative aims to contribute to the setting of EU and global directions for food waste prevention.

“By World Food Day 2016 (Sunday 16 October), the European Commission will launch a research and innovation agenda for food and nutrition security. This will lead to a Food Research Area by 2020, created by both the EU and its global food and nutrition security partners,” announced Moedas in January 2016.

The EU Commissioner for Health & Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis addressed the Committee of the Region’s plenary debate on food waste in June 2016, where he defended the urgent need of protecting food and preventing food waste while contributing to a sustainable development. 

“This is unaffordable, immoral and unsustainable. To tackle food waste successfully, we need a thorough re-think of how we produce, market and consume food at each step of the food chain,” said Andriukaitis.“The Commission will also develop, in co-operation with Member States and stakeholders, guidelines to facilitate food donation in the EU,” he added.

From food shortages… 

After the disarray of the Second World War, some European countries were confronted with severe food shortages forcing populations to control their food through rationing practices. A Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was thought through during the 50’s and finally in 1962 concrete mechanisms were adopted by the six founding member states of the EU. Market unity, community preference (chose local) and financial solidarity were the three major principles underpinning the CAP.

However, the common policy was never entirely accepted by the community and it was subject of several reforms up until today. In 1968, the European Commissioner for Agriculture Sicco Mansholt called on the Council of Ministers for reform claiming that the amount of land for cultivation should be reduced and uttered that the living conditions of farmers had not improved since the CAP’s implementation - despite a sharp peak in production.

 …To food waste

Today, there are over 500 million people living in the European Union. The world population is projected to exceed 10 billion by the end of the century. Such growth will put a massive strain on the global food supply. With a fasting growing population, demand for food is mounting but so does overproduction and ultimately vast amounts of wasted food.

It has been estimated that up to 30% of all food produced around the world is lost or wasted. According to the European Commission, staggering 88 tonnes of food are wasted every year in the EU reaching losses of €143 billion. However, the environmental impact caused by the waste is another reason for concern.

 Food waste reaches 88 tonnes of food annually, according to the Commission. © Google

Environmental impact

A report published in 2013 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) revealed the perverse effects of food waste on climate, water, land and biodiversity.

"We all - farmers and fishers; food processers and supermarkets; local and national governments; individual consumers - must make changes at every link of the human food chain to prevent food wastage from happening in the first place, and re-use or recycle it when we can't," said FAO director general José Graziano da Silva.

Solutions

According to FAO, a combination of consumer behaviour and lack of communication in the supply chain leads to higher levels of food waste in affluent societies. The food subject is particularly complex and therefore it is vital to make the shift towards a collective awareness into a holistic approach.

From a public health viewpoint, good nutrition value is essential and so is the food labeling in order to empower the consumer to make informed and sustainable choices. It is commonly believed that food consumption and dietary choices can make an important contribution to meeting current environmental challenges.

Moreover, greening measures to the whole supply chain are paramount. Re-setting the economy to consume fewer natural resources and make the agro-food system more resilient to potential supply shortages.

Last but not the least, to abruptly reduce food waste and its byproducts it is crucial to harmonise the food supply chain worldwide and take into consideration the impact on the environment and climate change. It is time to use resources within our means such as innovation techniques as to improve the circularity of recycled products and waste management.

It is in our power to prevent food waste and act responsibly. © Google