2016 Was the Year of the Personal Drone

As ridiculous as the selfie-stick phenomenon was in 2015, I don’t think any of us were prepared for the elaborate and technology-fueled heights of self-involvement that 2016 brought.

Beginning with affordable and durable options like the Lily, it wasn’t long before we started seeing swarms of personal drones at monuments and tourist destinations, all buzzing around to get epic swooping shots of the family in front of Mount Rushmore, or even urban locations like Katz’s Deli.

The drones have become a public nuisance, with several states already proposing legislation for permitting options. From now on, if you want your drone to film your bachelorette party, you’ll have to pay the state of Colorado.

The videos themselves have become cliche. What once inspired envy in any who saw your slow-motion 360 pan of walking your dog set to Blur’s “Song 2,” now elicits yawns. But with the mobile app and social network Instapan just now reaching mainstream attention, it seems we’ll have to endure the trite overindulgences for years to come.

The pivotal moment for personal drones was when the Clinton campaign broadcast an entire week of her life through a quadcopter. Those tuning in via a VR device said it was like being a member of her entourage.

With more and more Oculus Rift and other VR units out there, we’re looking forward to 2017 plunging us into an Orwellian death spiral as we virtually roam the streets in drones, surveilling everything and everyone just for kicks.

Get out there and get droning!