Study Shows Millennials Most Likely to Post Deceptive Travel Photos

We all know millennials love to post about their trips on social media … but how many of us will actually admit to trying to make our lives look more glamorous and exciting than they actually are, particularly while we’re on the road? Most of us would balk at the idea of sharing our airport meltdowns, traveling companion quarrels and other normal mishaps on Instagram, so, not surprisingly, a new study by Allianz Global Assistance showed more than one-third of millennials aim to deceive followers by posting social media vacation images that make travel experiences look better than they actually are.

Why? The study found most of us do so in an attempt to make our followers jealous, while a little more than half do so to compete with other travelers who do the same. It also uncovered men are more likely to do this than others.

However, millennials aren’t the only generation prone to this behavior. Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers do the same, just not to the same degree.

“Social media changes the way we live, work, play and of course, travel. As millennials continue to lead trends, it will be interesting to see if social deception becomes a more common and even acceptable activity when portraying vacations to friends, family and followers,” said Dan Durazo, director of communications, Allianz Global Assistance USA.

Oddly, those who are apt to post deceptively are also those most likely to trust brands and other posters on social media to actually post honestly.

As is expected, more than half of millennials say social media plays a role in their travel choices, though they’re most influenced by posts from friends and family members who might be traveling, versus brands and media who might be promoting a destination or travel provider.

Facebook is the top social media platform for inspiring travel decisions, followed by Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat. Women are most likely to find inspiration on Pinterest, and men on Twitter.