She delves into the world, establishing its unsightliness until it captivates the internet's fascination.

She delves into the world, uncovering its unsightly aspects. there's an overwhelming fascination with the internet.

Then she stumbles upon a less captivating scene – a plain-looking Holiday Inn found along the roadside. It appears rather dull and unremarkable.

"Bleh," Gupta says dismissively, in no uncertain terms. The video then ends.

Digging into Google Maps

Gupta isn't actually traversing France in this video; not in a conventional sense, at least.

What she is doing, though, is scouting the country using Google Earth, dropping markers at random spots, and offering her thoughts on each location off the cuff.

Most of the screen is occupied with the Google Earth display, but Gupta appears at the bottom, her laptop out of the frame, clicking through the virtual scenes. She isn't much of a talker; she mainly comments on a location being "not bleh" or "bleh." Her eyes widen or furrow neatly, expressing her thoughts.

You might think this content comes across as dull or uninteresting. The web, however, disagrees with you. Gupta's French exploration boasts a whopping 6.5 million views and counting on TikTok.

@natooooooosh Replying to @Dédé_26 Uncovering France until it's bleh 🇫🇷 #googleearth#asmr#travel#geoguessr#france♬ Bye Bye Bitches by Bوهدا She hasn't even reached her peak performance. Gupta's equivalent exploration of the Philippines, for instance, has garnered a staggering 13.4 million views, while her video of Japan has been viewed an impressive 17.6 million times.

It's all part of Gupta's TikTok influence, where she takes delight in "uncovering every country until it's bleh," as per her TikTok bio.

Gupta reveals herself as half-Singaporean and half-Indian. She moved to the UK as a child and has a passion for traveling. Her Google Earth videos emerged from a desire to circumnavigate the globe within the limitations of her life in London as a young adult in her early 20s. She doesn't have the means to jet off around the world. But exploring via Google Earth is costless.

Gupta also wanted to showcase that "every country is beautiful in their unique way" and to "challenge preconceived notions" associated with certain destinations.

Exploring the world

Gupta published her first "uncovering every country until it's bleh" video last summer, on both TikTok and Instagram (she goes by @natooooooosh on both platforms).

Her videos quickly amassed likes, views, and comments. Locals from the countries she highlighted would approve or disagree with her opinions, while foreign viewers suggested other locations for her to discover next.

"At first, it was incredibly overwhelming to receive that much attention and comments," Gupta tells CNN Travel, though she was grateful to start earning "a little money" from her content.

Her take on England went viral, leading her to hop onto a crowded London Underground train.

"I realized that when I was on the tube, there was a good chance someone else on the tube had watched that video," she says.

But Gupta was equally thrilled that her content, with its straightforward premise, had proven captivating.

Conception of the concept

The idea of exploring the world via Google Earth or Google Maps in the pursuit of artistic expression or internet content – isn't fresh.

The idea of exploring these virtual spaces until they're "bleh," however, is novel. Gupta was aware of a few faceless accounts embracing this idea before starting her project.

However, Gupta shared her thoughts with her boyfriend – a popular content creator called Jay Fujiwara McCaughrean recognized for her videos teaching English online – and the concept of witnessing a creator's reactions and expressions began to intrigue her. She believed viewers might find the "exploring the world until it's bleh" concept more relatable if they could see a creator's responses.

So, one summer evening, she decided to give it a try.

"I set up Google Earth on my laptop screen, recorded that, and filmed myself, too. I opted for a simple approach," she recalls.

@natooooooosh Replying to @kim sunoo🤙🤙 Uncovering the Philippines until it's bleh 🇵🇭 #googleearth#asmr#travel#geoguessr#philippines♬ Bye Bye Bitches by Bوهدا Generally speaking, two types of compelling TikTok content exist.

There's the lively, edited, music-driven content that utilizes fun effects and transitions.

And then there's the straightforward, unhurried content in which creators often appear in their PJs, putting on makeup.

Exclusive glimpse into Gupta's production process, revealing her video recording techniques.

The latter resonated more with Gupta's aspirations.

"I was going for something more chill, just a girl in her room, having a bit of fun. I'm not glammed up, I'm in my PJs. It was filmed probabbly at midnight, and I edited it and published it at 3 a.m."

The simplicity in her presentation seemed to resonate with viewers. Despite donning brighter-colored tops and white shirts more recently, she's kept up "that relaxed vibe that appeared to connect with people."

She aiming for the videos to possess a relaxing vibe. Initially, comments indicate she accomplished this, with some viewers describing the content as calming and even soothing. Some individuals even believed she unconsciously produced ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response, which induces a sort of calming meditative state). As a result, Gupta tags her videos with the ASMR hashtag.

Interestingly, Gupta does not introduce herself in the videos. If a user stumbles upon her TikToks or Instagram Reels, they will have minimal knowledge about her. Her name is not mentioned, nor is her hometown or occupation (she previously managed a corporate social media account).

All that viewers see is a person, sitting in front of a laptop, using Google Street View to browse the world and provided comments.

Gupta explains this deliberate anonymity by stating, "It's not really about me, but more about the places." Additionally, Gupta understands that the best content is "very clear about what's about to happen" with minimal complications.

"You just know this person will explore until it's ugly, and you're just there to agree or disagree," describes Gupta.

Choosing Countries

To date, Gupta has published 28 Google Earth-themed TikToks and counting. Each video follows a similar structure; Gupta introduces the concept, then she drops her pin and begins clicking. Sometimes she may comment on what she sees on Google Earth. Alternatively, she may simply declare "not ugly."

Over the past few months, she has explored various countries like Australia and Italy. She has also ventured into specific US states, such as New York and Ohio.

Gupta scans the comments for suggestions, but mainly chooses destinations based on her own interest.

"I want to choose countries that perhaps don't get a lot of attention," she adds. "Places like Bulgaria and Poland – I think that's partially why they resonate with a lot of people."

"All these countries are beautiful in their own right, but we just tend to overlook them due to our preconceptions."

Gupta enjoys the element of surprise. She picked Ohio based on a comment suggesting it would produce the quickest TikTok. Ultimately, she discovered several Ohio spots she really liked.

While some viewers believe Gupta chooses her Google Earth locations in advance, she insists she drops her pin randomly and films until she finds an ugly location.

The raw videos are anywhere between five to 20 minutes long, but TikTok and Instagram have length limits. As a result, Gupta must edit her footage and focus on the most interesting places that generated the most engaging reactions. However, she is considering posting longer, uncut videos on YouTube.

Gupta notes that the "not ugly" vs. "not ugly" distinction is subjective and instinctual.

Gupta acknowledges that weather greatly affects her perception. The same view captured on a cloudy day can look more inviting in the sunshine.

However, she tries not to overthink her ruling.

"It's mainly just upon first glance of the image," she explains. "Would I want to go there? How beautiful is it?"

In-person Trips

Gupta has also created some recent videos that merge her virtual explorations with in-person trips. For example, before a recent trip to Milan, Italy, she looked up random spots on Google Earth and visited them in person to assess their relative "not-ugliness." She recently posted a similar video exploring her hometown, London.

Gupta suggests this could be the "next evolution" in her content. While she enjoys her virtual travels, her Google Earth explorations are sparking a greater desire to see the world.

"I think it's not so much that there's any specific place I want to go, but more that I'm just more open to any places," says Gupta. "Because I now know for a fact that any place will have some beauty and somewhere that I would I go, 'Oh, that's outstanding.'

Despite Gupta's virtual explorations, she expresses a growing desire to physically visit places after finding beauty in unexpected locations. Her Google Earth videos have expanded her perspective, making her more open to discovering the wonders of the world.

Next time you're planning a trip, why not incorporate Google Maps or Earth to uncover hidden gems and make your journey even more exciting? You never know, you might stumble upon a place that's "not bleh" after all.