SNAP FIRST, LIVE LATER: THE ERA OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF

Living Through Lenses Since 2013. Somewhere between the rise of the smartphone and the dominance of social media, we began living life with one hand perpetually ready to snap a photo. Since around 2013, our collective relationship with moments has shifted: rather than fully experiencing them, we’ve started documenting them—often before we’ve even had a chance to process them.

The mantra of our time could well be: If you didn’t post it, did it even happen? What once was a personal archive of memories has morphed into public proof of presence, a constant feed of curated snippets designed for others to see, like, and share.

The rise of Instagram and the social validation loop. Instagram, launched in 2010, quickly became a global cultural force. By 2013, it wasn’t just a platform—it was the stage for proving that we were living exciting, enviable lives. Every meal, concert, and trip had to be photographed, filtered, and shared. How the “pics or it didn’t happen” mentality shaped behavior. This phrase, once a lighthearted internet joke, became a behavioral norm. Without photographic evidence, our stories of adventures seemed incomplete or suspect. The implication? Reality was only real if it was visually documented.

"Snap First, Live Later" ist Marcel Haupts langfristige fotografische Beobachtung des veränderten Tourismus-Verhaltens seit 2013. Das Projekt dokumentiert, wie das Fotografieren die tatsächliche Erfahrung überschattet - von den Anfängen in Nepal 2013 über Japan-Reisen bis zu aktuellen Beobachtungen in Venedig 2025. Eine sozialkritische Auseinandersetzung mit Social Media Kultur und digitalem Tourismus-Verhalten.

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