Icelanders Seek To Keep Remote Nordic Peninsula Digital-Free (apnews.com)

Hikers, park rangers, and summer residents of Iceland's northernmost peninsula are seeking to keep the area free from internet service, worrying that all that comes with it "will destroy a way of life that depends on the absence of [email, news, and social media]," reports the Associated Press. "The area has long resisted cell towers, but commercial initiatives could take the decision out of Icelanders' hands and push Hornstrandir across the digital divide." From the report: Despite or because of its remoteness, Iceland ranks first on a U.N. index comparing nations by information technology use, with roughly 98 percent of the population using the internet. Among adults, 93 percent report having Facebook accounts and two-thirds are Snapchat users, according to pollster MMR. Many people who live in northwestern Iceland or visit as outdoor enthusiasts want Hornstrandir's 570 square kilometers (220 square miles), which accounts for 0.6 percent of Iceland's land mass, to be declared a "digital-free zone." The idea hasn't coalesced into a petition or formal campaign, so what it would require or prohibit hasn't been fleshed out. The last full-time resident of the rugged area moved away in 1952 -- it never was an easy place to farm -- but many descendants have turned family farmsteads into summer getaways. Northwest Iceland's representative, Halla Signy Kristjansdottir, is in favor of adding cell towers for the safety of sailors and travelers in the area. "I don't see anything romantic about lying on the ground with a broken thigh bone and no cellphone signal," Kristjansdottir said in an interview.

Comments

Yeah it's real annoying

[Crashmarik]

You're out in the wilderness and somebody's WiFi is screwing up the colors of the forest and making everything look strange, while the cell towers are driving the wildlife nuts. / sarcasm

I'd love to hear these people justify how this in anyway diminishes them.

Re:Yeah it's real annoying

[GumphMaster]

You're out in the wilderness and somebody's ...

bloody mobile phone is playing something loosely called "music" over the shittiest, tinny piezoelectric "speaker" you ever heard. I have personally experienced this scenario while walking the Milford Track (NZ) and in Torres del Payne (Chile). I can only imagine how much worse it would be _with_ coverage: Youtube videos turned up to 11, incessant need to share the latest "news" from home, inattentive walking in dangerous places etc. If your region's livelihood depends on people coming to experience wilderness then this kind of behaviour is frankly detrimental to that. All power to the Icelanders for trying to keep a lid on it.

If safety is the primary concern then set up a PLB rental service for walkers.

Because people no longer have self discipline?

[thesupraman]

Because they CAN get Farcebook, I guess they Must get Farcebook.
I mean, you would think they could just choose to turn off their devices, not bring a charger, whatever.

Although knowing people from such areas, I suspect it is more about giving one big finger to 'thems city folks' (even if most of these people live in the cit\y most of the time).

Anyway, good on them for caring, but good luck in keeping such things out. The safety point is also quite valid.

Re:Because people no longer have self discipline?

[ShanghaiBill]

I mean, you would think they could just choose to turn off their devices

They don't want to just stop using Facebook, they want their NEIGHBORS to stop using it too.

This isn't about self-control. It is about controlling others, which is a near universal human desire.

Re:Because people no longer have self discipline?

[e3m4n]

exactly. I just posted a more descriptive explanation of that very thing a thread above this one. Sometimes it's easier to buy a vacation that makes the choice for you, than having to, repeatedly, make the same choice throughout the entire vacation. Picking a destination that has no access means you can re-focus on other forms of entertainment. Its easy to fall back into habits. By picking a spot with no access, you are not fighting temptation, and i dare say withdrawal, the entire time. The price of vacationing in this spot will only increase now that its mandated technology-free.

Fuck yes.

[DogDude]

Fuck yes, I fucking love Icelanders. I'm so sick of seeing smartphone zombies everywhere. The addicts and the stupid will be addicted and stupid anywhere there's an Internet connection. What a wonderful, thoughtful, human decision to make. Wonderful idea.