But what’s in it for a brand that writes ‘love your profile!’ under your latest poorly-executed plandid (the 'planned candid' guys – keep up)? And are you or your thirst traps any more special than anyone else’s?

Most of us don’t mind our IG numbers being boosted by the occasional stranger or cosmetics brand (why else do people slyly sneak a stream of hashtags into the comments underneath their posts?). 'We like your style, do you have more like this one?' wrote a hotel branding and design company. One from the memorial’s verified account, one from a friend and one from a brand. The picture, captured through barbed wire and drawing the eye towards a vanishing point between two brick buildings, attracted three comments.

One of his most recent Instagrams was a poignant post about his visit to the Auschwitz memorial. He posts carefully-shot landscapes trimmed with all the classic wanderlust hashtags, often featuring his beaming, beautiful wife (not the aforementioned flatmate, I’m afraid). A friend of mine – or, I should say, someone who once invited me to a party at university because he fancied my flatmate – has been doing a lot of travelling lately.

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