Sommarøy It is a town located on an island of Norway, climbing the news for its initiative of abolish time. It is located north of the Arctic Polar Circle, in the county of Troms and, precisely for its latitude, lives for two months the perennial lightand for two others there full darkness. For this reason, the inhabitants, adapting their lifestyle to the surrounding environment, seem to have proposed that the flow of timeseen how mere social convention.
The idea of the “time-free zone” in Sommarøy
The inhabitants had proposed the creation of a “Timeless area“(“Free-time zone“) within which times and deadlines were abolished in favor of a rhythm of life cadenced by natural lightbut what seemed like a real cultural revolution proved to be nothing more than … one advertising! The idea behind the “free-time zone” was simple and based on the habit now acquired by the citizens of Sommarøy to live adapting to an extreme sun cycle, given that the summer lighting allowed (and allows) to carry out any activity at any time, while the winter darkness has always forces them to a certain flexibility. The community then started a collection of signatures to support a petition delivered to the local deputy Kent Gudmundsen, speaking ofabolition of watches as a stress solution. Many tourists have also enthusiastically joined the initiative, symbolically leaving their watches on the bridge that separates Sommarøy from the municipality of Troms, making them emblem of the proposal.
Debunking on the abolition of the time on the Norwegian island
Well, this innovative hypothesis that was proposed to free the man from the analyst slavery of the time, was broken when theInnovation Norwaythe State Tourism Agency, admitted that it was exclusively anadvertising initiative to promote tourism in the region, taking advantage of the uniqueness of Sommarøy“The timeless city“. The Innovation Norway apologized for not having immediately clarified her involvement in the initiative, but this did not repair it from criticism: the international media and the association of Norwegian journalists have accused the agency of having released misleading information; the prestigious magazine Forbes He even highlighted how this operation has damaged Norway reputation in the fight against fake news.
The reaction of the inhabitants and the “truth” behind history
The controversial marketing He certainly affected the goodness of the proposal in the eyes of public opinion but, in truth, the same inhabitants of Somarøy had discussed the proposal well before the countryside and Marianne Mork of Innovation Norway confirmed that the concept came from islanders themselves and that the agency limited itself to transforming it into onetourist initiative. Actually in the Norwegian town the time is lived differently: flexibility in work, the possibility of organizing the day based on natural light and the reduced importance of pre -established times have been part of the local culture for generations. Therefore, although the “Free-time zone” was a merely advertising stunt, It really reflects the feeling of the islanders which have found in sunlight or in its absence the only appropriate time scan.
