Instagram and TikTok have increasingly shaped the way people approach hiking, influencing route choices and how they present their outdoor experiences. Once seen as a way to disconnect from technology, hiking is now often tied to social media, where striking mountain images and scenic views are shared widely. In France, the French Federation of Hiking reports that multi-day hiking trips are becoming more popular, especially among younger people. As of recent data, 27% of hikers have completed such trips, with nearly half (52%) of those aged 18-24 participating. This shift is partly due to the influence of social media personalities, whose followers are drawn to the outdoors through their posts. In the Écrins National Park, Samuel Sempé, the director, highlights a significant increase in visitors, especially in recent years. Although visitor numbers reached their peak in the late 1980s, the number of tents at some sites has doubled between 2021 and 2025. For example, at Lake Muzelle, up to 215 tents were recorded in one night in August 2025. A survey conducted by the park found that 25% of visitors discovered their camping spots through social media, with higher percentages at specific locations. While word of mouth is still the main way people find hiking trails, the role of social media is growing rapidly. Hiking is also changing in terms of both trails and aesthetics. New hikers are not only choosing different paths but also altering the visual aspects of their experiences. On social media, hiking is often framed as an event to be captured in images, with starting points selected for the best lighting and outfits carefully planned. This has led to the rise of "gorpcore," an aesthetic inspired by technical outdoor gear. The term was first used by journalist Jason Chen in 2017. In his book Sociology of Fashion, Frédéric Godart discusses how clothing contributes to personal identity and social status, a concept that now applies to hiking, where adopting specific stylistic elements has become essential. The aesthetic of hiking includes attention to landscape, lighting, and composition, with images such as sunrise summits or tents on lakes becoming widely recognized. Samuel Sempé notes that influencers are now using tripods and lighting equipment, a trend previously uncommon in the outdoors. A 2021 study titled The Instagrammable Outdoors found that the pursuit of aesthetics influences the actual hiking experience, leading to more standardized representations of nature. The study suggests that even those seeking to disconnect from technology often take photos for later social media posts, creating a paradox where the experience is planned for perfect staging rather than spontaneous immersion in nature.