
As I weave through
the crowds, I know
I will feature
in a thousand
tourist snaps;
now I'm part of their story.
Imagine you want to visit a museum in the city you live in. To get there, you walk past a beautiful spot that has one of the best views of one of the most iconic monuments in the world. Do you see the crowds standing there? Snapping photos, selling trinkets, being tourists? Well, if you get out at the Trocadero metro stop, and walk through the Esplanade du Trocadéro to cross the Pont d'Iena, you will know what I mean. If you don't want to be in other people's pictures, don't do this. It's unavoidable. And to be fair, from that Esplanade, you have an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. Arguably the best view.
With virtually everybody living with a camera glued to their hand these days (and then I'm not even speaking of those Ray Ban Facebook glasses), you will become part of other people's stories. There is no escaping. I don't really mind for myself. But I do not like it if my children are in it. I used to mind that less, but now that images shared on socials will inevitably become part of AI training data sets, I have more concerns. I rather not have my children's faces be inspiration for AI halucinations. Still looking to find ways to avoid that, without moving to an isolated home high up in the mountains.
Although, that doesn't even sound that bad.
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Maybe the best time to wander the streets of Paris, is right when it wakes up at 5 am.

As I weave through
the crowds, I know
I will feature
in a thousand
tourist snaps;
now I'm part of their story.
Imagine you want to visit a museum in the city you live in. To get there, you walk past a beautiful spot that has one of the best views of one of the most iconic monuments in the world. Do you see the crowds standing there? Snapping photos, selling trinkets, being tourists? Well, if you get out at the Trocadero metro stop, and walk through the Esplanade du Trocadéro to cross the Pont d'Iena, you will know what I mean. If you don't want to be in other people's pictures, don't do this. It's unavoidable. And to be fair, from that Esplanade, you have an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. Arguably the best view.
With virtually everybody living with a camera glued to their hand these days (and then I'm not even speaking of those Ray Ban Facebook glasses), you will become part of other people's stories. There is no escaping. I don't really mind for myself. But I do not like it if my children are in it. I used to mind that less, but now that images shared on socials will inevitably become part of AI training data sets, I have more concerns. I rather not have my children's faces be inspiration for AI halucinations. Still looking to find ways to avoid that, without moving to an isolated home high up in the mountains.
Although, that doesn't even sound that bad.
Support this publication via buymeacoffee or Hypersub.
Maybe the best time to wander the streets of Paris, is right when it wakes up at 5 am.
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4 comments
Fresh poetry for your inbox or wallet. This week, we're wandering the streets of Paris and inserting ourselves in other people's stories. Enjoy the read: https://paragraph.com/@trpplffct/tourist-snaps?referrer=0xB31Faa5c1D581C70F4b6ed095c944936cBd2a357
So good man❤❤
An observant reflection on modern tourism and the inevitability of appearing in strangers’ photos near Paris’s Eiffel Tower. It weighs privacy concerns as everyday images may feed AI training data, including worries about children’s faces. @arjantupan
Absolutely reflection