My teenage years were filled with days out in London searching for the capital’s rich and famous and their pricey motors. Heck, I even made a TV documentary for Sky about the topic… but what on earth is going on in London these days?
I’ve seen videos trending on social media showing crowds of “photographers” chasing cars through the streets. Running across the road and some even standing in front of supercars trying to get from A to B.
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Now, car spotters getting in the way of owners is nothing new. That used to happen back in the day, sometimes. There’s no denying that. But things are different now. Before, there might have been one person showing everyone up, but now it appears to be a bit of an epidemic – everyone is a supercar spotter.
With the rise of TikTok and social media in general, the spotting scene has quicky spiralled downhill – and I’m not the only one thinking it. One OG snapper, who wished to remain anonymous, told Understeer.co.uk that things are “out of hand”.
“It’s just not the same anymore, it’s not really that fun,” they explained. “Before it used to be a select group of friends and everyone got on, letting each other know where cars are and all that, but it’s a completely different world now, it’s really sad actually.”
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The term “trend spotter” has been coined, giving a name to the new breed of automotive paparazzi. They’re young and more determined than ever to pair a shakey supercar clip with a trending sound on their “supercars of…” TikTok account.
Is this all a big deal though? Well, in the grand scheme of things, probably not. But it adds to my increasingly long list of things I hate about this new wave of social media activity. One thing I’m not 100% sure about is if it will last. Will the “trend spotters” eventually get bored and will spotting in London become great again? I really hope so.
It’s of course down to a number of things, literally anyone can start posting on TikTok and their video has a really good chance of, ironically, trending. Before, the goal was Instagram likes and YouTube views, metrics that are still just as hard to achieve these days.
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Am I blaming TikTok for this? Absolutely, with most basic smartphones capable of filming in full HD, it’s never been easier to become an “influencer”. While I love that for technology, I don’t love it for the creators who’ve spent thousands on equipment over the years who can now be trumped by Johnny, aged 15, with a Samsung.
If you’re reading this, and you might be a “trend spotter”, I don’t hate you. I dislike the game, not the player. In a way I’m probably envious of how easy it is now and that I’m not as young as I used to be. Yep, that’s right – I can’t actually be bothered to walk around London all day anymore. So… in summary, you make that TikTok.
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