The Law of Unintended Consequences Strikes Again.
silicon graybeard: Over the years, I’ve come to regard the Law of Unintended Consequences (LoUC) as one of a few things out of social sciences that rises almost to the level of physical law. Contrary to what they say in car commercials, it’s not possible to break the laws of physics, and no law, regulation or any change is immune to the LoUC. While the LoUC isn’t quantitative, it seems the concept of saying “all intended changes bring unintended consequences” is as rigid as saying “gravitation is a force between two bodies proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to their separation”.
Where I’m going is a little story in Digital Photography Review, a weekly newsletter I get, that tells the story that the Jackson Hole travel and tourism board is asking visitors to stop geotagging photos.
As Vox recently pointed out in a video titled What happens when nature goes viral, geotagged photos have become a major issue for landmarks around the world. When photos posted to Instagram, Facebook, and other social networks are geotagged, knowingly or otherwise, it makes it easier than ever for new people to seek out the exact same location and have their own turn at taking a photo, only adding to the problem.
While it might not seem like a problem, the influx of visitors to many of these locations has caused a dramatic change in the environment, physically and otherwise…
The combination of the social media craze of taking pictures of yourself in remote and beautiful locations along with geotagging providing the exact location the picture was taken together invoked the LoUC and is causing damage. These remote, beautiful places have seen increases in visitors they’re incapable of sustaining — at least not without dramatic physical changes to the areas. Sometimes changes to ensure the safety of these visitors, such as trying to keep the visitors from falling off ledges or cliffs. MORE HERE
“Sometimes changes to ensure the safety of these visitors, such as trying to keep the visitors from falling off ledges or cliffs.”
Why? I mean if they’re THAT stupid…
I vote for more Darwin Award winners, with audio, as they fall. ….Lady in Red
I made the mistake of reading “Life and Death in the Grand Canyon” — a book I picked up in one of the Canyon’s book stores — while we were on a long road trip through the desert southwest. I nearly ruined my enjoyment of this beautiful area. There are more ways to die in the wilderness than one can imagine. Ways that almost read like sci-fi. One misplaced foot and that’s all it takes. These fools who selfishly take stupid risks spoil the wilderness for everyone because the next thing you know everything is surrounded by fences and barricades and all your natural beauty pictures are crowded with “Do Not!” signs. Geotagging is turning the wild into safe spaces.
One of my favorite sayings:
“Social legislation can not change physical laws”
The SJW warriors and their demi-god obummer have never learned this.
MSG Grumpy
Look at the potential! The Right could geotag “special” places,
post them for Lefties, who find out they’re
no-go urban zones,
shark-infested waters,
nuclear waste sites…etc, etc
Only limited by your imagination!
Seriously. People are stupid. You see it every time you drive north of Jackson on your way to Dubois… even on the outskirts of Yellowstone, there are cars parked halfway in the road (a tiny road) just so they can photograph themselves with the Tetons in the back. Or they saw a Wyoming insect or SOMETHING.
There are a lot of injuries/deaths each year because everyone wants a buffalo selfie.
So, let me see if I understand: We must never visit places like this so that future generations will be able to not visit them…? Excuse me if I seem confused.
35th and Cottage Grove…
Need I say more?
And yet the stupid people still go beyond the fence at Palouse Falls in Eastern Washington and manage to fall over the side to their deaths and down into the canyon below the falls in order to get a better view. It happened again this last year, idiots.
I turn that shit off.
I don’t understand why you must tell people where you are every second of the day! I see it on facebook. Some one is taking a shit at ___ Mall, and I somehow need to know about it?! Here’s my favorite, the person who is doing nothing but going from bar to bar during the weekday including Saturday. Yeah, because they’re really into “appetizers”. LOL.
It’s no wonder why cops always bust people using facebook. It’s not because of facebook snitching on you, you’re doing it on your own!
grool December 14, 2018 at 4:23 am – “Why? I mean if they’re THAT stupid…”
Because smart people then have to risk their own lives to save their worthless asses – or retrieve the bodies. And it costs US lots of money.
People who “rough it” and get in trouble – mountain climbers, spelunkers, anyone intentionally going into danger for thrills – must prove they can pay for their own rescue. Post a BIG bond before starting or keep a BIG wad of cash in your backpack. Pay up BEFORE we even start the copter’s engine or endanger rescue personnel.
Remember when no one had a cell phone and you could go to the bathroom and not get a phone call or make one while you were sitting on the toilet. My son does that to me on occasion and it annoys me and I tell him why don’t you call me you finish taking a dump. I lost a cell phone once a couple of years ago and had to get a new one when I answered my phone while peeing at a Love’s/Carl’s Jr. in Ritzville, Wa. when one of my coworkers called me and it slipped out of my hands and fell into the urinal. We never used to have that problem and now cell phones are like umbilical cords that permanently attach us to everyone who calls (except for phone #’s I don’t know or deem unimportant). Sometimes when I don’t have my cell phone with me or forget it I feel freer and more sane than when I carry it for business purposes. And I hate it when some pest calls me and it says private number or private caller on my phone, there is no way in hell I will ever answer that.