Viral tourism has produced mass conformity.

Our travel choices reflect aspects of our social environments, such as our peer groups and cultural rites.

Some people identify as a “traveler” rather than “tourist,” aiming to connect authentically with a new locale.

For these travelers, pursuing uncomfortable or unexpected travel experiences creates psychological richness.

There’s a growing consensus that Instagram and TikTok are ruining travel for the rest of us. Viral tourism has led to a crush of travelers in a small number of destinations. A 2019 survey found that 86 percent of people chose their travel destinations based on social media content posted by a friend, family member, or peer. This wave of mass conformity led TIME magazine to declare that “We Have All Become Travel Influencers. It’s Ruining the Planet.”

The trend of influencers lining up to get the exact same photo has become so common that it’s produced an industry of parody. One of our personal favorites is “@Influencersinthewild,” which captures videos and images of influencers (or wannabe influencers) trying to take selfies in the cringiest fashion. Occasionally, a middle-aged dad will recreate his daughter’s social media poses to reveal the absurdity of the entire enterprise.

These trends have a deep social psychological foundation. Long before we ever board a flight, our travel choices serve as powerful signals of status, values, and the subtle identities we hope to project to the world. Where people travel, for example, is influenced by the fads and fashions of their peer groups—whether to emulate our friends or our favorite social media celebrity. Clifford Lewis and colleagues interviewed young........

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