Abstract or Keywords
The practical and visual experiences with “tourist drones” are at the center of this chapter. How does leading drone manufacturer DJI imagine drone use in tourist, travel, and adventure spaces? How do those visions compare to the realities of the creative practice? Finally, what kinds of views of the world does the tourist drone open up? I respond to these questions by critically analyzing DJI’s Avata commercial, which showcases first-person-view (FPV) drone use in tourist, travel, and adventure contexts. In particular, I discuss how the strategic “just plug and fly” narratives minimize necessary preparations and skills in favor of an idealized depiction of tourist drone use in seductive locations. At the same time, the advertisement provides valuable insights into contemporary tourist drone views and how they expand the framework of the tourist gaze. Similar to how places became “kodakized” with handheld cameras, places now become “dronisized” in the vertical and horizontal exploration by flying camera. “Seeing the world as a picture” transforms into “seeing the world as a parkour” in FPV drone videography. The chapter concludes with considerations for future research as well as the future of tourist drone use.