Popularity of this strange hobby.

[Gromr]

I recently starting playing with Google Trends seeing what is popular and what not. Anyway, I tried looking up 'Urban Exploration' which is actually listed as a Hobby. Results were interesting.

I always thought it was on a steady incline as interest in urbexing increased. However judging by this, interest has exploded in the last 12 months.

Curiously, what happen in July 2011? Someone run a front page story it?

 

[smiler]

Who the feck are you calling strange and where'd you get my drug test from.

 

[krela]

Once upon a time (online at least) it was a very niche past time with a community of maybe 100 people, and everyone knew each other well.

Now it's a tourist trail where you have to queue up to view some places.

Things change, nothing is ever static.

Such is life.

 

[krela]

Also bear in mind that's worldwide trending, the UK is a small part of that. The 2011 spike could be from any country.

 

[Mikeymutt]

This is why I now explore places what no one bothers with.or older places what we're in the limelight years ago.and I find that you go back several years after everyone has been the decay has set in more making it far more photogenic.I try to avoid the tourist trail now like the plague

 

[mookster]

This is why I now explore places what no one bothers with.or older places what we're in the limelight years ago.and I find that you go back several years after everyone has been the decay has set in more making it far more photogenic.I try to avoid the tourist trail now like the plague

Yes, me too. I take great pleasure in going places that have been forgotten, brushed over, or ignored by the 'tourist trail' of popular exploring. Granted I may visit the 'in the limelight' locations myself but I don't restrict myself to only what is currently popular on Instaface.

You have to explore what you want, to get out of the hobby what you want after all.

 

[SlimJim]

The infiltration end of things is less busy. Not that I do a huge amount of it. Numpties won't go anywhere near anything where access isn't given to them on a plate and/or there's high chance of there being some unpleasant consequences if they're caught. They'll mostly do whatever locations they can ponce off other people. I do a little bit of everything, but I've gone off the derelícte fetishism type stuff. My love will always be with military stuff and underground places, especially ones that are big and/or mint. I'm sure the hype will die down eventually. I have other hobbies and a few bandwagon kiddies won't put me off getting out in the UK. Interesting to see how the interest has peaked though. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sam Haltin]

Thanks for the interesting information. Well, if you want to get off the tourist trail there's a host of abandoned/derelict hotels in Germany. I'm following one German Urbex explorer and he has come up with some real gems.

 

[BarryLynch]

For us it was natural progression and fell into it, were older now and find that going down the town to get boozed is just simply boring, hence why we started looking at old derelict churches and "haunted" sites. I have always heard of urban exploring and when I used to live in Vancouver, I actually did a lot of it without knowing I was "Urban Exploring" in the east downtown & small municipalities but that's because I'm just always intrigued and enjoy older buildings. For us now going to these places and seeing them, plotting how to get in legally and evading security is part of the rush, however its the feeling of knowing that not many people will ever see this and enjoy it is my favourite part of it all.

 

[brickworx]

Interesting data...imho I like taking pictures and getting out for the day, I'll visit anywhere, done not done, new old or older.....elitism isn't my thing and if something's enjoyable then why not share the love?

 

[Conrad]

Interesting shout to look at the trend on google.

I know I haven't been in this hobby long, so this opinion could be thought of to be a bit presumptuous but..

It's to loud, it's going to reach critical mass if it hasn't already and go to ****.

If you ask me a million people seeing a youtube exploration video is a problem, good luck to anyone who tries to pull of that explore after that. I briefly bumped into a group of base jumpers a couple of years ago and they were very clear that the exploration hype makes sites much harder to hit.

Looking at the interactive graph the UK 2011 spike was april the 8th the same day that the media ran the story about Bradley Garret climbing the shard.

 

[krela]

It's to loud, it's going to reach critical mass if it hasn't already and go to ****.

It hit critical mass and went to **** around 2009 when Facebook took over the world, it's been reasonably consistently bad since then.

Professor Twatface Attentionwhore certainly didn't help either now you mention it.

 

[mookster]

Professor Twatface Attentionwhore certainly didn't help either now you mention it.

It kind of started out the merry band of copycat followers also...

 

[Cuban B.]

It's mainstream now. It used to be an underground thing, now you take the family out urbexing on a Sunday afternoon.

 

[ironsky]

Perhaps people have realised that so many places are closing for good due to the downturn in the economy. Over the last few years the area where I live has seen some big changes many business that people took for granted and thought they would be around forever have gone many of the buildings that once housed them have become derelict or demolished. Urbex is one way to record them while the chance is their the only problem now is we have so called Urban Explorers who don't follow the rules cause problems for genuine explorers which could see the law changed . I don't think Urbex is now an underground hobby has its entered the mainstream media.

 

[smiler]

It hit critical mass and went to **** around 2009 when Facebook took over the world, it's been reasonably consistently bad since then.

Professor Twatface Attentionwhore certainly didn't help either now you mention it.

Social media hasn't helped but a lot of folks who become enthused by reports and photographs cool off when they find out for themselves that it ain't that easy or straightforward, it flares up once in a while when some eejit talks to the media or posts something for their own ego boost.
The genuine one join a group or online forum dedicated to our hobby, I am genuinely surprised that there hasn't been more fatalities considering how many inexperienced and ill equipped folk chance their luck
Rant Over, I'll have a lie down

 

[jhluxton]

I wonder how many stumbled into this as they were previously interested in exploring old railways, old mines etc but they were parts of another hobby? I was probably around 4 or 5 when my parents would stop off at old mine sites when we were on family holidays in Cornwall and by the age of 6 my parents had taken me to various accessible locations on old railway tracks.

Whilst I joined the web in the early days of the mid 1990s I only probably discovered the urbex sites and forums 10 years or so ago when I was looking up information on the history of a particular site - at the time I considered what I was doing to be Industrial Archaeology.

 

[MD]

Too many media whores now instagram etc

its all spolit it

 

[Goldie87]

only problem now is we have so called Urban Explorers who don't follow the rules cause problems for genuine explorers which could see the law changed

What rules? The high council must have failed to notify me of those

There's been hordes of people trying to do the umbex for years, difference was years ago a lot of people had a genuine interest in history, or climbing, or underground stuff etc etc. What has ruined it is Social
Media and all the like hungry goons just doing stuff to try and make a name for themselves.

 

[smiler]

Too many media whores now instagram etc

its all spolit it

Nah it isn't MD, look at all posts just this site gets in a month, all good stuff and the only reward they get or want is the thanks of their peers and they far outnumber the, :media whores: