The theoretical work addresses the photographic staging of the self abroad.

The aimless journey, an invention of the nineteenth century, no longer pursues a scientific mission, but solely exists for the formation of the self. The photographing of one’s own person against the backdrop of well-known cultural objects, occurs alongside the staging of the self in front of picturesque backdrops. The colonial appropriation of the other as a setting for the self is one of the problematic constants in the visual culture of Western tourism. Another consistent factor is travel photography as a status symbol. Through the democratisation of travel, however, the logic of distinction has become more differentiated. The fine differences now manifest themselves, among other ways, in the price categories of travel companies, airlines, and accommodation. Yet regardless of the status groups, the connection between the (semi-)public purport of a successful life and the staging of the extraordinary remains confirmed. Photographs do not so much record what is observed, but rather perform the now on an increasing scale.

The final culmination of the transformation of the world into a backdrop for the self can be found in what is also called impression management: travel influencers not only provide role models for one’s own image production, but also offer very practical tips on how to optimise it. It is less about the object of the tourist gaze and more about the relationship between object and self, in which the object, however, is reduced to an extension, an accessory of the self.