GoPro has just released some new cameras this week.  their super, state-of-the-art Hero4 that will capture your most epic adventures.  and also the Hero, a cheaper version for those of you just starting out.

I am going to assume that you all know about these GoPro cameras by now, but if you don’t please check out this AMAZING video they put up showing the capabilities of their new Hero4.

you can also check out their Instagram feed for even more photos of epic adventures that people have with their GoPros on hand.

while it’s wonderful to see all of these amazing adventures that individuals are having around the world (did you see that volcano??), what about the rest of us?  what about those of us that lead “regular” lives?  one individual even made a funny little comparison (see below) of reality vs. expectations when using a GoPro.

while it’s true that not all of us are going to have adventures/activities featured prominently in GoPro’s marketing of itself, what about those individuals that would go to great lengths to make it seem like they do have these adventures/activities?

I am not trying to say that GoPro shouldn’t share these videos (because let’s face it, they are pretty cool to watch), but could there be any lasting effects on individuals psyche because of these videos?  there is already the issue in current times of the prevalence of too many selfies and how this is leading towards a generation of narcissistic individuals, which incidentally is classified as a personality disorder.  but does it go deeper than that?

Narcissus drowned himself because he couldn’t stop staring at his reflection.  what is the effect on those who feel a burning desire to be like what they see in social media?  would they potentially hurt themselves because they can’t produce the same kind of videos and photos that they see of others?

at the very surface of this, there is the potential for the stealing of others videos and photos and posting them as your own.  which could eventually lead to a path of pathological lying to keep up this appearance of a fantastic and adventurous life.  however, I do think there is the potential for this to go to the extreme where individuals would take drastic measures to make their lives seem as fantastic as they see on the GoPro videos and photos.  when this eventually happens, should there be repercussions for GoPro?

where do you draw the line?  or should a line even be drawn at all?