Defo yes. Yes. And collectively, no.
Those who specifically film themselves/ other dancers in this context, generally want to reach a wider (social media) audience: to inform, entertain (and even educate) maybe? Not saying it’s a bad thing to see people performing like dancing monkeys in front of a lens at soul venues - you’re there to enjoy the night socially - but personally, NS dancing for me, has never been about entertaining or performing for anyone.
You can’t truly be ‘in’ it, if the aim is to gain social media attention (likes/ views/ re-tweets etc). This isn’t what NS dancing is about. A camera lens pointing at me, is never going to influence me to move a certain way. If it ever did, it would be like following a script, and the spontaneity of what you are hearing the music making you do, would be false and feel fabricated. That doesn't sit right with me.
I doubt a new order of social media influencers filming from the edge of dance floors, is changing the form of NS dancing across the scene, but it's certainly noticeable and part of everyday norm. I’m not saying social media/ filming has not strongly influenced the NS dance scene - rather it has operating it’s at the fringes, widely tolerated and accepted, but always from the ‘outside’.
ATB
Dave.