As with much ‘new media, Instagram has only recently been explored within tourism research, however it is an area which has garnered significant levels of attention in this short time within popular culture, and wider academic study. The rise of Instagram as leading platform, and a way for travellers to ‘show-off’ has been linked to a range of challenges and opportunities for the tourism industry; from increased overcrowding of popular destinations and decreased visitor dispersal, to the potential for destinations to utilize the concept in destination marketing and planning, and the rise of the ‘influencer’. This conceptual paper explores the notion that although Instagram represents a new form of communication within tourism, it is, in many ways, simply a new technology that allows travellers to do what they have always done – to share and ‘show-off’ travel experiences with a wider audience; it is a new channel for the conspicuous consumption of travel.