Since the beloved Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has just taken place, for the 23rd annual year, I thought it would be fitting to discuss how Coachella has changed over the years, especially due to the influence of social media. In the early years of Coachella, people viewed it as the better version of the music and Art festival Woodstock. It basically took out all the bad aspects of Woodstock and created a freeing experience for people to connect to the arts. However, as the years have gone by, the event has changed, and some people think these changes (especially with technology) are for the worse.
When Coachella was first starting, the festival still needed to prove itself as a legitimate event. Some groups and performers were hesitant to put on a show, so the festival compensated for that by only having a 2 day festival rather than the current day 3. But that improvement comes with a downside; since its growth in popularity and day extension, the general admission ticket prices went from $50 to $429. There is now also a VIP ticket option going for $999, which gives attendees access to exclusive sections of the place.
But the biggest and most notable difference in the event is the use of social media. Since the introduction of social media in the 2010s, Coachella has turned into what some people call the “Influencer Olympics.” This name was given due to the extreme lengths social media stars go to make sure people know they are there. This could be an extravagant outfit or an absurd amount of Instagram posts. Many sources have said that Coachella is so different now and is filled with people just there from brands who don’t care for the actual experience. This shows that the lack of true fans there makes the festival less fun and less authentic every year. Lauren Gray, a known influencer, shares that some influencers go the extra mile to pretend they are at Coachella for the social media boost. This crazy obsessiveness surrounding Coachella is also what made companies want to use Coachella as a marketing event to draw attention to their brand and their products. So the next time you get FOMO from Coachella, just know it is not as glamorous as it seems.
https://www.businessinsider.com/coachella-then-now-history-old-photos-2019-4#coachella-was-once-a-more-affordable-option-for-music-lovers-2
