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UER Forum > UE Main > The world has gotten smaller. (Viewed 2127 times)
AlwxzndrD10 


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The world has gotten smaller.
< on 3/10/2018 2:10 AM >
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Feel free to weigh in while I ramble for a short bit about something that has been on my mind. I have been exploring abandoned buildings since I was a kid. The sub division I grew up in had an abandoned farm tucked away in a patch of woods towards the back of the neighborhood. I would spend hours there taking pictures, digging around for old bottles, looking at all the stuff left behind etc... It felt so mysterious and isolated. Did other people know about this place? What's the story behind it? What else could be here? This type of mystery and excitement is what sparked my interest in this hobby. However, in recent years that feeling is gone, for many reasons... I remember in my younger years in the early 2000's the 'urbex' culture was just really cool and intriguing. It felt like I was doing something that had not been done before, like I was really discovering something whenever I found a new abandonment. I felt like there was still more out there, more untouched places waiting to be explored and documented. Hopefully some of you still feel this way. For me, I feel as though the internet along with other things, have ruined this feeling. With people bombarding platforms like Instagram and pandering for likes and attention, with things like google maps, making it possible to 'discover' locations without actually going out and looking, I just don't feel that sense of discovery anymore, I don't feel like there really is more out there to discover, like all the good spots are gone/been found already. I realize part of it may just be getting older, but I do feel part of it has to do with so many people constantly posting pictures online and being able to so easily use satellite imagery.


TLDR: I miss the good old days when abandoned buildings weren't constantly on social media, weren't view-able on google maps and I miss that feeling of adventure and discovery that used to go along with this hobby


Feel free to weigh in, tell me i'm wrong, agree/disagree, whatever!




mookster 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 1 on 3/10/2018 10:21 AM >
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Who 'members the time before Instagram, drones and Youtube retards fucked over this crazy hobby?

I 'member.




jeepdave 


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It's also a gun.

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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 2 on 3/10/2018 12:16 PM >
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Change is always happening. The biggest I see is that while abandonments are as plentiful as ever they are the "wrong" kind. The beautiful architecture of old has been replaced with efficient boxes. I used to get excited when I found a old mill built in the 1800's. Now between homeless people burning them down with careless fires on oil soaked wood floors and the rest becoming apartments if they were in a desirable enough area they are rare. But things are still manufactured. The difference is the new abandonments are metal sided husk. Yeah, they can still have age, a story to tell. But they just aren't all that damned interesting to look at. Especially when you've worked in one. You've seen em all. I'm trying to appreciate some of the design elements of the 70's since thay seems to be the new wave of buildings reaching the end of their lifecycle but sadly usually the only thing of interest tends to be what was left behind. And I can only look at so many faux wood desk before I get bored once again. We are sadly a society that doesn't latch onto old buildings in America till they are beyond saving. Time for a marker to tell me what used to be on this dirt lot. I dunno. There will always be something to explore. But there may not always be something worth exploring.




Ezekiel 25:17
Hoover 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 3 on 3/10/2018 8:21 PM >
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This is a really interesting topic, and one that I think all comes down to perspective. People have been claiming that "the world is shrinking" for hundreds of years. In theory, the global population rocketing upward would lead to less space available as human beings fill in every corner, making all real estate more valuable. I'm not convinced this is the case in practice.

Now, I type this as I drive through the Traverse City State Hospital, one of the Mid West's greatest psychiatric hospitals/Kirkbrides turned tourist trap. As the old legendary locales crumble, it falls on the current "generation" of explorers to find and appreciate the new legendary buildings. As Dave said, the latest wave of architecture becomes decrepit as the old brickwork of the previous wave is paved over, or finally caves in the wind.

The world isn't shrinking, the mannerisms are just changing. Consumer habits, corporate behavior, real estate value.. everything has its ups and downs. UE is as much about civic and social science as it is about adventure; it's just that the "why" is hidden under the surface, while "what" is tangible. "What" is each abandoned building we explore.

That's my philosophy on it, at least whether or not today's ups and downs result in as many abandonments as yesterday's is probably closer to what you're talking about. I just don't know if there's an absolute, shrinking trend that will go on and on until every abandoned building ceases to exist.


Edit: Clarity



[last edit 3/10/2018 10:13 PM by Hoover - edited 1 times]

4Valhal 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 4 on 3/12/2018 2:53 PM >
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Posted by mookster
Who 'members the time before Instagram, drones and Youtube retards fucked over this crazy hobby?

I 'member.


Pepperidge Farms remembers.


I guess I just ignore the Instagrammers and such. Of course nothing is as exciting as it was when you're a kid. The old vineyard behind a house and the railroad tracks we'd walk for hours are truly not even worth a look as an adult. However as a kid they were wonderlands of excitement.

I enjoy the whole process and the living in the moment feel of exploring pretty much anything. I do agree that the architecture of the older buildings makes for some exciting photos. Even more so when you compare them to a concrete box of a warehouse. I do enjoy checking out amazing architecture and ages old history.

Beyond the pictures I can find that solace and relaxation of being away from society in any forgotten structure or back woods path.




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Steed 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 5 on 3/12/2018 3:37 PM >
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I still remember when I first got involved, around 2005, people were already whining about it being too trendy. Those people certainly weren't prepared for Instagram and YouTube, which have led people further out on the ledge.

I get the feeling abandonments have fallen into neglect, with everyone fixated on rooftops, where they can fuck around and collect likes without actually "exploring" anything. I've had no problem staying ahead of the curve, even if social media engagements make it look like they're bigger than me.

One thing I'm not nostalgic for, when I first started this, a lot of local sites I'd go to showed signs of violent eviction: walls knocked out with sledgehammers, death threats spraypainted on walls. That is certainly less common now that people's rights are better protected.




TheSwanStation 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 6 on 3/12/2018 7:44 PM >
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This is why me and my friend I usually explore with have been spending a lot of time hitting small towns and back roads. Something most IG or YouTube explorers can't be bothered to do. They would rather have someone tell them about the new "hot spot" or trade locations like they are Pokemon cards.

Just from three Sundays of driving back roads this winter we have found nearly 100 abandoned houses as well as some larger spots. Once the snow melts we will go back and do more recon on the properties. In the meantime I spend a few hours a week on county tax websites researching all the properties we have found. Who owns them, where do the owners live, when did the property change hands, are taxes paid on it etc.

There are many more spots out there than just the flavor of the week places plastered all over "the grams". With everyone taking almost the same shot of the same room. Back roads and small towns have just as many abandoned buildings as cities. You just gotta do more honest work to find them.

What irritates me most about the current batch of explorers is how they bring unwanted attention to the hobby. By plastering locations all over social media they not only bring attention to the property itself but also the hobby as a whole. This increased public interest in turn prompts owners of vacant or abandoned properties to keep a better eye on their property. Perhaps install motion alarms and cameras. Which can now run on a battery and send a cell signal right to a smart phone. This type of technology is now widely available and shockingly cheap. On the same token, security or police are now much less likely to let legit explorers off with a warning. Especially at more well know locations. They are simply sick and tired of hauling people out of there every week. It's a waste of their time and they figure if they come down hard on people maybe it will stem the tide somewhat.




mahal 


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3:16

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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 7 on 3/12/2018 8:33 PM >
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Posted by TheSwanStation
This is why me and my friend I usually explore with have been spending a lot of time hitting small towns and back roads. Something most IG or YouTube explorers can't be bothered to do. They would rather have someone tell them about the new "hot spot" or trade locations like they are Pokemon cards.


This. Instagrammers want big ticket/like items (lots of graffiti... prisons... mills... asylums...) that are typically easy to spot, find and get into.

I have a 2 hour commute to work so I've started to take different ways each morning and afternoon and the amount of stuff I've found I didn't even know was there is insane. Plus I just went to the islands down south this last weekend and alone passed 4-5 HUGE buildings I've never heard about before so now theyre on my list for sure. With time and traffic people will always find a way to ruin something, so just find a new something (more buildings that don't have a hashtag yet).



[last edit 3/12/2018 8:34 PM by mahal - edited 1 times]

xNat 


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With Night, Freedom

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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 8 on 3/13/2018 6:39 AM >
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I think there's still plenty of places out there to explore. As quickly as old abandonments and such are oversaturated and demolished, new places become forgotten or left behind just as quickly. I don't think there's anything particularly bad about having more people interested in the hobby, though I'm personally not a huge fan of the whole 'exploring for likes' culture that's been cropping up.

The biggest downside of it for me, with all the youtubers and the instagrammers and such, is probably that these people often don't have as much respect for the locations (ie. breaking into places and destroying property) and that those are the ones that often end up in the news and give the whole hobby a bad rap. It's never been a mainstream hobby, and all of that isn't really helping UE's reputation.




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odinsink 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 9 on 3/13/2018 5:33 PM >
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I didnt do this in the 2000's but unless I am exploring something that has been massively destroyed and covered in graffiti, I still have that new this hasnt been done before feeling to it for me. I still very much get excited over it all.




YotaMan20 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 10 on 3/13/2018 10:32 PM >
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There's stuff becoming abandoned every day day and there's stuff from the past that's still undiscovered. I don't know what else to say except maybe "fuck vandals."




Let's Go Places
odinsink 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 11 on 3/14/2018 12:05 AM >
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Posted by YotaMan20
There's stuff becoming abandoned every day day and there's stuff from the past that's still undiscovered. I don't know what else to say except maybe "fuck vandals."


Good way to end that lol




Aran 


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Huh. I guess covid made me a trendsetter.

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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 12 on 3/14/2018 4:25 AM >
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I think a big part of it is that there are multiple "generations" of explorers. There's the originals who got started in the 1980's and the "Golden Age" explorers who went adventuring in the 90's and 2000's.

But many of the old guard no longer explore. Some still do, but for many, they have gotten too old, or too busy, or just lost interest over time. The tight knit circles they formed drifted apart, and the community became wider and less cohesive. And the most famous abandonments, the ones that they found and that everyone else walked in their footsteps to, those are going away too. Redeveloped or demolished, the most famous old abandonments are gone.

But that doesn't mean urban exploration is dead- far from it. There are more urban explorers now than ever before, but they tend to form subcommunities. The community as a whole is less cohesive- there are different social mores and standards on UER than there are on 28DaysLater than there are on Instagram and Facebook. But if you can find a good subcommunity like this one, then there's still plenty of exploring circles out there. They just take a bit more work to find.

And we're still recovering from the financial crash of 2008. There are many businesses which never did and never will recover from the Great Recession, and many of those abandonments are still out there- but they are new. Less known, less visited- so it takes more effort to find them. And in the last few years, I've seen more younger explorers- college age, or late twenties. True, this site doesn't see traffic like it did in the Golden Age of Urbex, but it's easier to vet potential members than ever before. If you know someone on Facebook or Instagram who truly adheres to the ethics of exploring, point them this way. You'll be able to judge before ever telling them just by looking at their feed.

The world has gotten smaller and more interconnected than ever before- but that doesn't mean exploring is declining. It just means we have to reach higher than the low hanging fruit.




"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

Radio2600 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 13 on 3/14/2018 5:58 AM >
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IDK - I just do this for fun and don't have all that much interest in the artsy photography stuff.

Been doing this sort of stuff since the 1970s. I remember going draining when I was like 8 years old. It was easier to get through the smaller pipes back then.




In order to use your head, you have to go out of your mind.
Hoover 


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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 14 on 3/14/2018 8:08 PM >
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Posted by Aran
Everything he said

Aran hits the nail on the head, yet again

To add to his thoughts, I think a lot of the "Instagram" issue is that we're seeing what Aran described, a different sub-community with different morals and guidelines, as well as different motivations. I've always praised UER in my head for (generally) being a pure haven for respectful exploration. Instagram and Facebook are definitely not those, they're easier to access and offer the "quick fix" to those who see TOP 15 ABANDONED ASYLUMS IN YOUR STATE articles by Vice and co.

The ease of access through popular social media-- Facebook, Twitter, etc-- does nothing to dissuade people from hopping a fence and snapping a picture with their phone. At the same time it doesn't necessarily encourage respect or appreciation in the way that a more dedicated community like UER does, to use an example. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but in popular form we see less of it, which contributes to that "world is shrinking" feeling that some tend to feel.

I think in that way, the popular attitude has changed towards UE, but that doesn't mean there aren't pockets of traditionalists putting in research and care into the hobby. Less than there were in the "golden age" maybe, but that doesn't immediately translate to doom and gloom. I'd argue that the "golden age" explorers dropping out had no influence on UE's rise through popular media. I think they can be two separate topics.




ryan5685 


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"So what do you do for fun?" Oh I go in abandoned buildings and take pictures.

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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 15 on 3/16/2018 2:25 AM >
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I don't think what you're saying is necessarily true.

When I was in third grade, there was this abandoned building and I wanted to go in there so bad but I sure as hell wasn't going alone and all of my friends were too scared. I know the feeling, the mystery that you're speaking of. I think honestly the feeling just sort of goes away as you get older or more experienced as an explorer.

I'd say if you really think social media is killing the hobby, stop looking at locations online and do zero research before going to check them out. You may miss out on some insight but if mystery is what you're looking for I think it's your best bet.




Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is, are we living a life that is worth the harm?
Radio2600 


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HY KAK TO TAK

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Re: The world has gotten smaller.
< Reply # 16 on 3/16/2018 3:13 AM >
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I shot these pictures with my phone a year before I joined UER.

http://www.uer.ca/...=22539&galid=27561

I was in Dayton, the building looked cool, so I went and scoped it out.

How hard can that be?




In order to use your head, you have to go out of your mind.
UER Forum > UE Main > The world has gotten smaller. (Viewed 2127 times)


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