Oh My Gosh, Zilla

A trip around Asia is high on the wish list of many a recent graduate. Zilla van den Born did it too, traveling for five weeks around Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. She posted sunburned selfies on Facebook, Skyped with her parents, and sent WhatsApp messages, postcards and texts. Anyone who wanted to could share in Van den Born’s experiences on the other side of the globe. Except she wasn’t there. She was at home in Amsterdam with her boyfriend, the only one who knew her trip was a sham. Van den Born Photoshopped herself into photos downloaded from the Internet, visited a Thai temple in Landsmeer and Asian restaurants in Amsterdam’s Chinatown, and made a fake clip about a snorkeling excursion in a local outdoor pool. Short videos on her website show how she manipulated each vacation snapshot and fabricated a reality from a glossy travel magazine. When the truth came to light, many friends and family members felt cheated. But what was Van den Born trying to achieve, exactly? She wanted to show just how easy it is to deceive people with pictures, especially on social media where users are constantly bombarding one another with images of exotic holidays, exciting activities and luxury eateries.