'Videophilia' May Be Causing Decline in National Park Visits
July 9, 2006
Everyone is aware that more than ever, America is a leader in creating a high-tech environment. Everything from cell phones to i-pods have become part of daily life.
But one of the drawbacks of so much technological advancement may be that Americans would rather see a digital video of Old Faithful erupting in Yellowstone National Park than go there themselves.
The Washington Post reports that a survey in this month's edition of the Journal of Environmental Management indicates that visits to U.S. national parks declined steadily at a 25 percent rate between 1987 and 2005. The research was conducted by Oliver R.W. Pergams, a biology professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Patricia A. Zaradic, a research associate at Stroud Water Research Center. They determined the culprit was high tech video games, Internet activity and movies being viewed at home.
In fact, the Post reports, Pergams and Zaradic found that Americans spent 327 more hours in 2003 on high tech activity than in 1987. They dubbed this passionate pursuit "videophilia."
"If people are less interested in nature, they're going to become less interested in conservation," the newspaper quotes Pergams as saying. "That's my concern and worry."
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