<
https://theconversation.com/trampling-plants-damaging-rock-art-risking-your-life-taking-selfies-in-nature-has-a-cost-211901>
"In the age of the selfie taking photos of yourself has become an everyday
occurrence. Half of all teenagers regularly post selfies. Driven by social
media algorithms, many of us now flock to natural places for the best selfie
background.
But what happens when our pursuit of the perfect selfie starts damaging nature
– or even ourselves? Many people have been severely injured or killed by taking
risky selfies and photos in dangerous locations. Indian researchers catalogued
259 selfie-related deaths worldwide as of 2018.
And the search for the perfect selfie can injure animals like quokkas, crayfish
and glow-worms, protected plants and even First Nations rock art. Selfies have
even become a biosecurity threat.
Spare a thought for our land managers, tasked with caring for the natural
places sometimes despoiled for a photo and emergency workers entrusted with
rescuing selfie-seekers. As our new research has found, Australia’s land
managers are often at their wit’s end trying to keep people safe in nature.
The problem? Fences and warning signs don’t work well. Hardcore selfie-seekers
jump the fence and perch on the edge of the cliff to get the shot. We may well
need selfie educational campaigns."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
