Iceland tourism ad hilariously trolls Mark Zuckerberg and the 'metaverse'

Welcome to the Icelandverse, where everything and everyone is real.
Iceland is known for its dramatic volcanic and glacial landscape and its fascinating culture. (Did you know that Icelanders don't use family names for their last names? Now you do.) But who knew the Land of Fire and Ice also had a wickedly hilarious sense of humor?
In a tourism promotion ad, the public-private marketing organization Inspired by Iceland introduced the "Icelandverse," where everything and everyone is real, with no need for "silly VR headsets." It's a direct trolling of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's video introducing the metaverse, right down the narrator's haircut.
To get the full hilarity of the Iceland ad, watch the first couple of minutes of Zuckerberg's "Connect 2021: our vision for the metaverse" video, if you haven't seen it yet:
On the one hand, the metaverse does seem like the next logical step in technology, and there are probably some super cool ways we could utilize virtual internet reality. On the other hand, creepy Matrixy future much, Zuck? To his credit, he does poke fun at his reputation for seeming like an android just after the 5-minute mark, when he says, "I thought I was supposed to be the robot." (But he also didn't do a whole lot here to save himself from that reputation, either.)
We've all watched too many movies that prompt us to see a virtual-reality-filled future as overly detached and lacking in human connection. What the metaverse will really be like remains to be seen, but that perception—and the general consensus among many that Mark Zuckerberg is … well … odd—is what makes Inspired by Iceland's promo video so perfect.
Watch:
Some said an open-world experience this immersive wasn\u2019t possible. But it\u2019s already here. And you don\u2019t even need silly VR headsets. \n\nIntroducing, Icelandverse\n#icelandversepic.twitter.com/b1cf1REKl9— Inspired by Iceland (@Inspired by Iceland) 1636629804
Right out of the gate, Zuck gets zapped with a zinger: "Today I want to talk about a revolutionary approach on how to connect our world without being super weird." (If you didn't think the first few minutes of the metaverse video was super weird, please go to minute 18:50 and watch for a bit.) The hair, the outfit, the camera work, the "water that's wet," the "skies you can see with your eyeballs"—it's all just delightfully understated, wholesomely clever and perfectly effective.
Now I want to visit Iceland for the volcanoes, the hot springs, the waterfalls, the geysers and the Olympic-level trolling of one of the world's most powerful billionaires. (Oh yes, and the "really easy-going" people.)
By the way, If you're curious about what's on their faces in the hot spring, it's not sunscreen, but a mask. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is known for its blue silica and algae mask that supposedly makes your skin radiant. (Reason #2849 to head to Iceland.)
Well done, Inspired by Iceland. If we can't get to Iceland in real life, we'll definitely visit you in the metaverse.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."