Forgetting Freshwater: Technology, Values, and Distancing in Remote Arctic Communities

Technology is often touted as a collective solution to environmental problems. However, what if technology results in trade-offs in long-term resilience that ultimately pose a critical vulnerability for society? In this study, we examine the change in values of freshwater from traditional to convenience-oriented values in remote, resource-dependent communities that are in the process of modernization. Individuals living in remote resource-dependent communities in Alaska were interviewed and asked a series of questions concerning their values toward freshwater and the importance of those values. As age of the individual decreased, traditional-subsistence values of water diminished, and both convenience and recreational values of water increased. Individuals from communities without municipal water systems expressed greater traditional-subsistence values and less convenience-oriented values than individuals from communities with municipal water systems. The data presented suggest that as communities increasingly adopt the dominant social paradigm associated with Western cultures, their values of freshwater change from traditional and cultural values to convenience and recreational values. The implications of this transformation in values are discussed as a form of technology-induced environmental distancing.