We have to talk.
Now, this is going to be serious, so I need you to sit down for this one.
While there is a place for it in the grand scheme of marketing and promotion, I do feel like social media is ruining Disney.
Stay calm, breathe, drink a glass of water, and please hear me out.
As a Disney fan, my explore/for you pages across social media are quite Disney heavy.
For a long time, this meant simple photos of the parks, clips from movies, and maybe a character interaction or two.
Now? It has been overtaken by “influencers” using their platform as an excuse to ruin the experience for people in the moment.
For example: multiple users are taking character interactions and using them only for their benefit. Some ask jokes to the characters in order for them to figure out the punchline. Others ask hefty questions about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness to get five minute long videos with their responses.
This ain’t it.
This is ruining the ability for guests to enjoy character interactions when they are being commandeered for selfish gain.
Of course, I’m all for an extended character interaction. Yet, when adults are coming in and “stealing” characters away from guests to grow their own audience? It feels weird.
Then you have influencers using spaces for their own benefit. Taking up space dancing or filming “scenes”. Setting up their cameras to get shots of them walking away or walking into buildings.
It adds a certain level of mess to these locations.
Is this a certain level of “get off my lawn” energy? Absolutely.
However, it’s hurting these experiences.
Another new “fad” is TikTokers having to share the secrets of the park to their audiences.
Whether it be character secrets, key cast member information, or bringing to light information not meant to be released to the public, it has become a big problem.
Guests are then taking this information and holding it against cast members as a power move.
I’ve seen it in practice at the parks and it’s quite gross. You are a guest. Please be respectful.
The Disney influencer community also shares the need to not only have an opinion on everything, but make everything about themselves. I do understand that’s the name of the game, but sometimes, it’s okay to take yourself out of the equation.
This is all to say that this social media culture is becoming a big problem for the theme parks and Disney experience.
I have made it my own ordeal to start blocking their content on my own feeds to avoid seeing it, but that isn’t going to stop them from ruining my day in the parks.
I have seen people with decent clout within the community be remarkably disrespectful to cast members because they think they have the right.
Nope. Negative.
Cast members are doing their jobs and you are, once again, a guest.
Bring back compassion. Bring back kindness. And, above all, bring back not monetizing fun.