C'mon guys, quit being so judgmental.
Which is more narcissistic, taking photos of yourself on trips to fun locations or thinking anyone cares about the fact you captured the "perfect" shot of a heron catching a fish? They are different sides of the same coin.
Fact is, photography is a very narcissistic hobby. Whether you are taking pictures of yourself and your friends and family, or taking pictures of things, at the heart of it all is pride and self-admiration. If it's not narcissistic, it's usually voyeuristic. Or both.
A few years ago I had the task of culling through by dad's hundreds of slides from the 50s and 60s of our family vacations. I threw out almost all the pictures of things. The ones I kept were the ones of us at various places we visited across the country – the "selfies" that some of you are knocking. Those were the only ones I knew anyone would care about.
I also realized, when I was going through them, how similar his pictures of geysers at Yellowstone, were to my pictures of geysers at Yellowstone. And, how they were like the thousands of other pictures of geysers at Yellowstone that get taken every year. It helped to put my own pictures in perspective and I realize that one one is gonna care about those pictures of birds, animals, mountains, flowers, nature, buildings, etc., etc. that I spend hours processing to get the "perfect" image. It's the crappy pictures of my grandkids birthday parties, Christmases, etc. that people might actually want. The "Selfies."
Most of the people you are knocking are the same people who are having a great time on their trips. It's the "serious" photographers who make themselves a burden to their spouses, kids and fellow travelers with their obsession over getting "perfect" shots, that are the ones missing out.
I'm as bad as the next person on this forum. But please, let's not act all superior because we think those selfie-loving Gen Z whippersnappers are doing it wrong.