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Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

bbc.com

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Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#61

Post by marapuru »

qwsxyh wrote: post #44
marapuru wrote: post #27

This quote from the article baffles me: > The good instagrammers try to show different ways of enjoying nature. We don't tag places that are off the beaten path that we want to protect as long as possible. Some places have become "insta-famous" without ever mentioning where they are but eventually they become known to everyone. Wait, what? So you take a picture. Put it on instagram (because you are an 'instagrammer')…

> Let's hope the future learns people that most of these instagram shots are basically digital waste. That's very condescending of you. Lots of people like having real visual memories of places they've been.

I like having visual memories too. But are my memories triggered by a self-made almost identical photo of a specific glacier or tree at a touristic attraction?

In the last couple of years I've not taken photographs of things from which I was sure already tens of thousands of photos exist.

In my opinion people forget the importance of the experience itself. It seems as if there must always be some form of evidence to show others that you've been to some place. Preferably while you are still there.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#62

Post by seattle_spring »

ixtli wrote: post #46
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #33

“The relatively new trouble with mass society is perhaps even more serious, but not because of the masses themselves, but because this society is essentially a consumers’ society where leisure time is used no longer for self-perfection or acquisition of more social status, but for more and more consumption and more and more entertainment… To believe that such a society will become more “cultured” as time goes on and…

I find that the root issue is individualism. There are immaculately clean cities in east asia whos parent societies would definitely qualify as highly "consumerist." It's not consumption that's the problem but the parameters within which that consumption is allowed to proceed. As well, in individualist societies we seem far more comfortable to discard our trash wherever and just forget about it. A more collectivist a…

East Asian national parks are also completely paved over and devoid of almost any remnant of a natural experience. And please don't tell me it's only westerners breaking all of the rules in US national parks.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#63

Post by tomxor »

ljcn wrote: post #20
justaguyhere wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same everywhere. I still remember going to the NY ball drop new year's eve - all I could see was camera flashes, hundreds of them every second. It was disgusting. I was one of the very few people who wanted to see stuff with naked eye :( Do these super talented artistic photographers see the photos they take, even once, after they have taken it?

https://xkcd.com/1314/

Except in this case there is a very good reason to care how other people enjoy their experiences.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#64

Post by prawn »

justaguyhere wrote: post #10
jihadjihad wrote: post #3

You see the same thing in Yellowstone--inattentive Instagrammers with selfie sticks hoping to snap the perfect pic next to the wildlife and scenery. Nothing quite as real as being scalded by a hot spring when you're used to viewing the world through a screen.

Same everywhere. I still remember going to the NY ball drop new year's eve - all I could see was camera flashes, hundreds of them every second. It was disgusting. I was one of the very few people who wanted to see stuff with naked eye :( Do these super talented artistic photographers see the photos they take, even once, after they have taken it?

Yes, my kids and I often go back through my travel photos and reminisce. They are almost all on Instagram (plus a local copy). We’re not climbing over safety ropes to pose though.

Think of photography in that situation like a hobby, just like people might want to learn programming languages or whatever. There’s a personal sport to it - challenging yourself to get a great shot or document what you’ve seen. Each to their own.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#65

Post by rando444 »

CaptainZapp wrote: post #11

Easy: Hand every tourist a brochure about the Do's and Dont's. Aka, like Singapore prints warnings (DEATH TO DRUG TRAFFICKERS) on their landing cards. If laws and rules are disrespected fine the sweet bejeezus out of those assholes (like in the thousands of $ range) and ban them from the country (or ideally, from the Schengen room) for 5 to 10 years. The problem will solve itself in short time.

We have something like that, which you find in the airport and various places.

https://www.inspiredbyiceland.com/icelandicpledge/

The people that need to read it the most though, either don't or don't care.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#66

Post by growlist »

cameronbrown wrote: post #29
growlist wrote: post #4

At first they were just shitting up the Web - now it's the real world too :( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

This isn't even remotely comparable to the tragedy of nature being so carelessly trashed.

It is comparable in kind - an influx of the masses spoiling things for the pioneers.

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#67

Post by CptFribble »

After the volcano erupted in 2010, the government launched a PR campaign in winter 2011 to counter the projected tourism drop. It specifically targeted "inspired" and "enlightened" travelers to come see the "unique" landscape.

Also in 2011, WOWair debuted with it's $99 flights to Iceland.

Instagram launched in 2010.

Maybe it's less "people are garbage" and more "we should make it more expensive to come here."

Re: Iceland tire of tourists trashing their nature

#69

Post by nostalgk »

ridewinter wrote: post #50
marapuru wrote: post #27

This quote from the article baffles me: > The good instagrammers try to show different ways of enjoying nature. We don't tag places that are off the beaten path that we want to protect as long as possible. Some places have become "insta-famous" without ever mentioning where they are but eventually they become known to everyone. Wait, what? So you take a picture. Put it on instagram (because you are an 'instagrammer')…

Hot tip: enjoy the moment, then find a similar scene on google images and share that if you need to. No one ever knows or cares the difference.

On the contrary, my circles would probably reverse image search it and then call me a fraud. My circles probably wouldn't care if I went to Iceland, though.
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