Do the benefits of social media outweigh the negatives?
With more parks working to expand their cellphone coverage, the question of whether that is good or bad often comes up. Not to be overlooked in that discussion are both how that coverage allows greater social media activity in national parks, and the impact social media is actually having on park resources.
Not too many years ago, my youngest son joined me on a hike to the top of Lassen Peak at Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. There at the top of the 10,463-foot peak was great cell reception, and more than a few folks were taking advantage of it to take selfies, post them, and then call their friends to point them out. Solitude and inspiration were not to be found there.
Another time, John Donahue, when he was still superintendent of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, told me about the problems social media was creating for his park.
"Somebody or some organization posts advice to people to go to a particular pond or stream or waterfall and conduct activities which are not allowed," Superintendent Donahue said. "But all it takes is a posting and you go from 15 visitors on Saturday to 250 on Sunday and a thousand the next week."
More recently, Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow recounted how social media seems to be drawing inexperienced visitors into his park, which isn't a great place for newbies heading off into the backcountry.
“Are we seeing social media impacts?” wondered Mow back in 2018. “Last year (2017) was interesting, because last year was the 50th anniversary of the Night of Grizzlies,” he added.
Night of the Grizzlies, for those unfamiliar, is the title of a book that recounted the fatal mauling on August 13, 1967, of two young women in the park’s backcountry by grizzly bears. They were horrific incidents that Jack Olsen recounted in a three-part series for Sports Illustrated, and then as a book.
“It made me think,” Superintendent Mow said, referring to that book, “when I grew up back in the ‘70s, Glacier was probably not considered a first-timer’s national park. Not in that aftermath. There were these grizzly bears, and if you were going to go there you really needed to know what you’re doing.
“And you know, when I see what goes on today, I think social media has sort of stripped that all away, that barrier (of apprehension), as psychological as it was, is just gone,” he said.
On the other hand, social media has been lauded by park staff, notably at Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, for getting safety information out to visitors. And it has been used to apprehend vandals, such as the time at Zion National Park in Utah when a photographer who loved the park came upon graffiti on a rock face, photographed it, and placed the photo on his Facebook page. The post caught fire, and the perpetrator was inundated with hate mail.
"The social media backlash for the perpetrator’s action has been swift and severe, prompting him to admit to the wrong-doing and cooperate fully with the on-going investigation. Criminal and civil penalties are pending," the park said soon thereafter.
Generations of park visitors have enjoyed their visits without a cellphone selfie, and there's something to be said for the quiet that can be enjoyed when the nearby crowd isn't talking on their cellphones to promote their selfies.
What do you think, travelers? There definitely are pluses for cellphone accessibility, probably more than negatives. But how can it be controlled so as not to impact resources or intrude on inspiration and enjoyment?
Comments
Not much can be done. However a few well written signs reminding people to 'stop and smell the roses' might encourage. I would suggest quotes from American poets (please include females).
we love "unplugging" when we visit the parks &would prefer LESS WiFi people talking on their phones interrupts the peace & tranquility of the experience.
My husband is handicapped and the safety of knowing we can get help if needed is very reassuring. On a recent trip to Utah's parks we rented a satellite phone for safet. It would be nice if that wasn't necessary.
Cell service means safety so I'm for that. But I do hate that every breathtaking site is reduced to it throngs of selfie takers. The social media postings attract guests but often remove the magic of discovery in parks. #mixedblessing
While I prefer to unplug and enjoy, even without phone service there are still plenty of loud, obnoxious people. There are still selfies. You can create a social media video, talking to your audience and upload it later. Almost every negative thing listed in the article can and is being done outside national park boundaries. I don't think allowing cell service in the parks would make a huge difference there.
What I do see happening is the safety thing. With cell coverage and the ability to contact others, people are more likely to take risks they shouldn't. Unfortunately when an emergency does happen a call won't go through because the signal would be clogged up by social media use.
I think the impact adding service to the parks should be seriously looked in to as far as cell towers and their impacts on the ecosystem beyond just the visual issues.
I have often wished for service when I need to contact my travel partner. If anything, I think starting with better coverage or land options just for park employees and possibly some well placed free emergency only phones Would be a better stepping stone.
Having lived near Acadia National Park for over 15 years and having vacationed here for many years before that, it is apparent to me that the way people visit national parks has, along with the number of visitors, changed substantially. Most visitors now seem to make shorter visits. This and the increased number of visitors is due to improvements in transportation. Even though Acadia is hours away from major urban areas and there is no scheduled public transportation to Acadia, visitors now are able to spend just a long weekend here or a couple of days as part of a week-long trip through northern New England, and then there are cruise ship visits which last for just a day. There is no time to savor the park and experience the unique environment which led to its absorprion into the national park system. Shorter visits mean more focus on the highlights, just the highlights. Short visits mean less time to write letters and post cards and to pull out the camera for that considered photograph which encpsulaes Acadia. Social media fills the bill for the short stay visitor. Almost everyone I know avoids Acadia National Park's loop road during summer, which lasts into October because of foliage and cruise ships. The same avoidance applies to popular hiking trails and carriage road loops. Thank goodness that Acadia, small as it is, still hsa areas not highlighted on maps or tourist brochures which offer relative, not absolute, solitude,