Concerns arise over Instagram geotagging impacts

There’s a movement calling for Instagram users to change the way they post photos of the outdoors. At issue is something called geotagging.

Geotagging is when a poster adds geographical metadata to a photo that pinpoints the exact location of the photo.

For example, Blue Pool on the McKenzie River has been tagged more than 1,800 times. And every time it’s tagged, another person can figure out its exact location.

Recently, there’s been a backlash against geotagging from people who say it can increase tourism to these remote locations to a point that the spot is damaged or overcrowded.

Some officials, including Visit Bend President Kevney Dugan, say being more vague in photo posts could be one solution to the issue.

“I think there’s a line of being specific as to where this place is, vs. saying, ‘the Deschutes National Forest.’ A lot of people who come here are choosing their own adventure, they’re getting out in the woods. Do we need to specifically say what lake it is to a T?” Dugan said Monday.

Visit Bend said it’s worked with the Forest Service to find out if there are places being overused — or where people are creating new social trails. If there are, they’ll work on limiting their marketing to those areas.

One social media marketing company in Bend said it’s not just Instagram and geotagging that’s led to this issue, but also YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat and just the internet in general.

Not everyone agrees that geotagging is a bad thing. Some say it’s important for everyone to be able to access information about outdoor locations.