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https://theconversation.com/liked-to-death-the-social-media-race-for-nature-photos-can-trash-ecosystems-or-trigger-rapid-extinction-235951>
"Have you ever liked or shared a social media post about nature? It could have
been a photo of a rare orchid or an unusual bird. Or you might share a stunning
photo of an “undiscovered” natural place.
It feels good to do so. You’re sharing something beautiful, an antidote to
negativity. But not even this simple act is problem-free.
Social media have become a huge force. It’s come with many positives for
nature, such as greater visibility and interest in citizen science and public
knowledge about the species we share the planet with. Australia’s largest
citizen science project, the Aussie Bird Count, collected reports of 3.6
million birds in backyards in one week, for example, making good use of social
media.
There is, unfortunately, a dark side to this effortless sharing of information.
It is possible to love species to death, as our new research has found.
How? Viral photos of undisturbed natural beauty can lead thousands of people to
head there. As more people arrive, they begin destroying what they loved seeing
on screen.
And then there’s the competitiveness among photographers and content-makers
hoping to gain influence or visibility by posting natural content. Unethical
techniques are common, such as playing the calls of rare bird species to lure
them out for a photo.
Social media do not directly cause damage, of course. But the desire for
positive feedback, visibility or income can be very strong incentives to act
badly."
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
