The Digital Divide – is a social issue referring to the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet (especially broadband access) and those who do not have access.
As someone who spends most of their waking/working hours online, you’re always looking for something to disconnect and step outside of your 13” Macbook screen or your 6” iPhone screen. But can the one drive the other and develop something intrinsically good?
I’ve started meeting a lot more people who feel the same way, they’re looking to disconnect from Internet and explore everything in detail, from weekend forest missions, hiking into the mountains.
Then there are things like Instameets, where basically a group of Instagrammers or Igers (as they call themselves) get together and meet at pre-determined destination, at a specific time which is great in theory getting offline and outside (for most is a task in itself.) When you track their defined hashtag and see “The battle of the edits” where you’ll usually see 76 photo’s of the same Iger jumping against a mediocre sunset. Why not just set out on your own and see some things and photograph something that 29173 people haven’t already posted?
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see people getting out and meeting people but when it’s only a few times a year when you could be doing the very same thing every other weekend it does seem a little bizarre.
The of course the most overused word on Instagram:
Wanderlust
ˈwɒndəlʌst/
noun
“a man consumed by wanderlust”
Sugar Loaf, Transkei Eastern Cape
As much as staying connected takes people away from being outside, there’s a sect of people who’re now actively pursuing getting outside and creating images with the sole purpose of sharing them on their social media accounts Instagram, Twitter, Facebook etc. If it’s not on Facebook were you really there?
But instead of checking in via Swarm the end goal is to create something where individuals live vicariously through those images? It’s in a way conciliatory to the original idea isn’t it? But we all do it,
“Graham checked into @Hooters WITH THE BOOOIS”
“Kelly, Night our with my besties @TigerTiger”
I guess that’s cool, everyone uses Social Media for different purposes in the same way superhero’s use their powers for good or evil, right?
A couple of quick facts about South Africa:
- Area: 1 219 090 square kilometres
- 747 000km
- 1,219km is South Africa’s longest single river.
Provinces: With nine provinces are you going to spend your whole time doing the same things you do every week and every weekend only to travel once or twice a year abroad to inevitably a tourist destination where you end of doing the same things you do every other holiday you go to in Cape Town or Umhlanga beach bad suntans and kitsch sunhats?
I’ve travelled somewhat extensively in the last few years and seen some pretty good roads and some well pretty terrible roads across the country from potholes the size of small cows in the Transkei to travel roads that will take 10 000kms off your cars shocks in the Tankwa Karoo not to mention when dirt roads become raging mud slides in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands. The point I’m getting to is that everything has it’s pros and cons, but you’re never going to experience any of that sitting around going out twice a week, to the same old bar or club with the same people you don’t really want to see half the time anyway.
Although some words of caution:
- Find a travel partner, because driving 1200kms in a day is not always as fun as it sounds.
- Don’t shop at Quickshops/Garage shops pies and energy drinks will kill you.
- Get a car charger for your phone.
- A power bank will save your life (and your cars battery).
- Learn some Afrikaans, chances are it will do you some right along the way.
- Learn how to change a tyre.
- In South Africa you can’t go wrong with ordering a pizza (vegetarian life on the road can be tough)
- Learn how to read a map (yes a paper map) not everywhere in South Africa is GPS friendly.
- Petrol is expensive, save money stay in cheaper accommodation along the way.
- Backpackers are great and terrifying at the same time.
- Sometimes it will rain for three days and that’s okay, Instagrammers love mist.
- Don’t be a dick, be nice.
This is what R60 p/p a night accommodation looks like in the Eastern Cape, it’s not pretty but neither is Gary.
Instagram is an amazing platform if you’re wanting to get out and meet like-minded people who enjoy the same things you do, not everyone online is a stalker/murder or 40 years old and lives in an underground room at their parents house. Some of the best people I know started out as a user name and a 160×160 photo.
