Written by Alex Alexiou
Last week seemed to be the first chink in winter’s dark and freezing armour. With the dawn of spring upon us, and the light starting to stretch past six o’clock, it is no wonder that more of Royal Holloway’s students can be seen out, basking in the afternoon glory.
Yet, across campus you would have a hard time not finding someone on the green with their phone in their lap, taking photos in the cool spring light, or even ‘doom scrolling’ on TikTok. It would seem we are firmly trapped in the digital age. But is this just another consequence of what older generations might deem an obsession with the virtual world? Or are these digital frontiers reframing our relationship to the natural world?
As the University of Exeter’s Dr Jack Reed, who led a study into the influence of social media on younger people’s perception of the natural world, revealed in an article for the university’s newspaper, “Young people are not separating their online and offline worlds the way previous generations might have. Their experiences of nature can begin online, and this influences how they engage with the outdoors in person.”
Even though this study was carried out in Exeter, it is significant for those of us here at Royal Holloway too. In fact, perhaps one of the clearest instances of the digital dimensions of student life affecting our interactions with nature can be seen in the emerging society, resurrected from inactivity in 2024, the Walk and Talk society.
In a recent interview with Lilly-Rose Taee, the vice-president of the Walk and Talk society, I asked her how the digital landscape has helped the formation of the society.
“I don’t think any other generation had to deal with social media as we have had to […] it’s more addictive these days,” Lilly prefaced. But she remains optimistic that it is a useful tool for communities.
“Walking is an accessible and enjoyable form of exercise and doing it in nature is even lovelier. And we discover a lot of our walks through TikTok, such as the Seven Sisters, or the Temple of the Winds walk.”
It seems to the Walk and Talk society, that the community which has grown from their time spent walking together, has reframed how they interact with both virtual and natural spaces.
Lilly went on to say, “We know that being out in nature [can be] good for your mental health, and the relaxed and supportive environment of Walk and Talk helps reinforce that.”
Though the Royal Holloway Walk and Talk society might be the most overt example of how social media has reframed the natural glory of campus life, another key example of how experiences of nature are emanating from the digital and into the offline world, is the resurgence of peregrine falcons on the Founder’s Building.
Given the university’s placement under the Heathrow flightpath, it is reasonable to expect students and staff spend most of their time on campus staring straight ahead, not so eager to catch a glance at the obtuse body of an aeroplane. And yet, after Royal Holloway’s official Instagram page posted about the cultivation of the world’s fastest bird in the turrets of the Founder’s Building, where they have been nesting for the past two years or so, seas of heads were captivated by the striking outline of the building, spending every free glance waiting to catch a glimpse of our very own peregrines.
I am yet to see evidence of the world’s fastest bird here on campus. But I will admit, I am enthralled by the potential for such raw natural beauty to be living so close to home.
As strange as it is to sit in the emerging pockets of spring, out in the quad or under a tree, and watch students wander around transfixed by their phones, there is something rather comforting about the fact that our devices have the power to open us up to the natural world around us. And this reminds me of something the vice-president of the Walk and Talk society said at the end of our interview: “At the end of the day, social media is helpful because there is a lot out there telling you to get off your phone and go outside!”
Written by Alex Alexiou. Edited by Chloe Hayler. Photography by Chloe Hayler. Published by Chloe Hayler.