A new service offered by Ibis hotels in Switzerland appears to suggest that for some Instagrammers, the pressure to post amazing images on the social media site may be so huge that it’s ruining their vacations. To ease the strain, the hotel chain is now offering help in the form of a “social media sitter.” It means handing the keys to your Instagram account to a selected influencer from the local area, allowing you to go off and enjoy your vacation instead of having to worry about finding the best spots to ‘gram with the best views at the best locations and the best meals at the best restaurants and the best … well, you get the idea. “Enjoy your city trip without digital stress,” Ibis says in a message translated by Google. “Our social media sitter takes care of your Instagram profile so you can explore the city in peace.” It goes on: “Let yourself be served by selected influencers and locals. Our Instagram professionals will provide the best posts on your profile while you enjoy the city without a smartphone in front of your face.” For anyone vacationing at an Ibis in Switzerland who loves Instagram but also wouldn’t mind taking a break from the fretting involved in trying to find the best shots, the social media sitter sounds like an awesome idea. Unless your Instagram input consists mainly of selfies, that is. Ibis has released a wacky ad (above) to promote the new service. The offbeat skit shows a couple in a row boat on a picturesque Swiss lake, with the guy taking a photo of his other half. The next moment, people start popping up out of the lake, shouting all of the hashtags associated with the photo and “liking” it. Then a fellow with a large camera appears from the water, and says, “Ah, I don’t like the color,” while a woman — the former girlfriend of the guy in the boat, as it turns out — shouts angrily at her ex. Yes, the comments section has come alive, and it’s utterly bonkers. The craziness ends with a Prince Harry lookalike showing up in the boat (it’s not clear how he got there) and taking the phone from the stressed guy so that he and his partner can go off and enjoy the rest of their vacation without having to think about Instagram.
The Ibis hotel chain is offering digitally stressed Instagrammers staying at its Swiss hotels the services of a "social media sitter". The service allows guests to hand over control of their Instagram account to an influencer in the area, so they can enjoy their holiday in peace without the pressures of needing to maintain their social media presence.