Saving the Coral Reefs with Sound, Aruba Digitizes Their History, and Why Loneliness Isn’t an Epidemic

I am back in DC this week after an eventful talk in Philadelphia last week where I had the rare fortune to be speaking on stage during an earthquake. First time for everything, I suppose. I just wish I had a better joke about it in the moment. Any ideas?

In stories this week, you’ll read about why the loneliness epidemic might be an overstatement, how happy reef sounds might bring dying coral reefs back to life, one sport leading the way with augmented reality, how Aruba became the first nation to back up their history to Internet Archive, whether prisoners should be allowed to post on social media, and the world’s first football field to have a gender. Enjoy the stories!

Stay curious,

What If There Is No Loneliness Epidemic?

An epidemic suggests that something is spreading over a short period of time and is worse right now than it was in the past. By this definition, should loneliness qualify? The common wisdom today is that our devices are simultaneously making us more anxious and lonelier. This article suggests that perhaps the rise of loneliness isn’t the one-dimensional wisdom we often take it to be.

Yes, people are more disconnected now and are craving human connection perhaps more than in the past. Still, as the article suggests, maybe the real problem is that the English language only has a single word for “lonely.” If we had words to describe a physical loneliness, versus a delightful alone-time sort of loneliness versus an isolated type of loneliness. The real danger to watch for in this model would be the chronic loneliness.

Ultimately, “many experts argue that loneliness and social disconnection are symptoms of deep societal problems, including poverty and inadequate healthcare.” Which really means if we’re going to help solve the sort of loneliness that really destroys the human spirit, we might need to fix a lot of other things first. 

Playing Happy Reef Sounds Could Bring Coral Reefs Back to Life

A happy and healthy coral reef has a sound. The various “snaps, groans, grunts and scratches that form the symphony of a healthy ecosystem” are not just a symbol of a thriving reef. Underwater scientists have begun testing using these sounds in areas with degraded reefs and are finding the sounds attract coral larvae to settle. When they do, a new reef is formed. 

As the problem of degrading coral reefs continues to spread, this is a story that could have wide ranging implications. With the right sound, perhaps more coral reefs could be regrown–which could create a positive domino effect for the rest of the ocean and marine life reliant on the reefs as well. 

Augmented Reality Comes to Sports, Thanks to Wrestlemania

Last weekend The Rock made his return to wrestling and a “new era” for the sport was on display at WWE’s Wrestlemania 40 event. The event itself was largely what fans of the sport probably expected, but the use of augmented reality technology in the broadcast stood out because of how integrated it has become. While other sports are launching small-scale pilot tests of the technology, WWE seems to be all in.

From the over-the-top introductions to wrestlers where they walk through AR generated background images to the AR lightning bolts shooting across the entire venue while fights are promoted, the interesting thing is just how sophisticated and baked into the viewing experience AR has become. This is a sport on the front lines of this technology, and so they are setting the rules for the experiences that fans of other sports will likely experience in the coming years. 

Aruba Becomes First Nation to Use the Internet Archive to Back up Their Entire History

The Indigenous population of Aruba was first colonized by the Spanish, and then the Dutch – which has given the Caribbean island a diverse history. As archivist Stacy Argondizzo also explains, “they were one disaster away, basically, from losing everything.” Back in 2018, the Internet Archive first began discussions with the country about helping them preserve all of their artifacts in the vast data stores of the San Francisco-based nonprofit.

Given that the nonprofit frequently faces lawsuits from both record labels and traditional publishers, this endorsement of Aruba is particularly timely and important. If more small nations choose to leverage the infrastructure of the Internet Archive to preserve their own cultures, it can allow the Internet Archive to tell a broader narrative about why they are important and provide a necessary service for humanity.

Alongside their mission, this story does also raise some big questions about how history should be “backed up” in the first place, what to do about “imperfect history” and who should hold the responsibility to ensuring our achievements and existence can survive any natural or unnatural disaster. 

Should Prisoners Be Allowed to Use Social Media? Inside the #JailTok Movement and Debate

There is legislation under consideration in the UK that would have “harmful content filmed inside prisons removed from social media platforms more quickly.” It stems from a disturbing case where a woman saw a video of her son’s killer rapping from prison and mocking the justice system. There are plenty of other videos on the #jailtok hashtag that show prisoners doing shots, inciting violence and revealing the private identities of prison guards.

Some of these accounts also include prisoners whistleblowing about overcrowding and terribly living conditions too. Critics of the legislation warn that it could have the side effect of silencing these whistleblowers too … so it’s not as one-sided of an issue as it might seem. The real question is, when someone is imprisoned for a crime, should part of the punishment also be taking away their right to have a public voice beyond the walls of imprisonment? 

Reader Credit: Thanks to Emmanuel Probst for sharing the story!

Even More Non-Obvious Stories …

Every week I always curate more stories than I’m able to explore in detail. Instead of skipping those stories, I started to share them in this section so you can skim the headlines and click on any that spark your interest:

How are these stories curated?

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This Non-Obvious Insights Newsletter is curated by Rohit Bhargava.

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