As we’ve seen with many incidents and tragedies as of late, the use of social networking changes the way we see news in real time. With the shooting in Las Vegas, we saw real-time footage of the chaos that ensued. With the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, we watched students grapple with the fear and tragedy as police officers evacuated them from classrooms. Instead of waiting for a reporter to come on scene, people around the world now have firsthand access to sharing and viewing live updates.

In the tourism realm, this means as an incident happens, it has most likely already been shared with thousands. Last April, a Kentucky doctor was dragged off a United Airlines flight after he refused to give up his seat to a crewmember, an incident broadcast on Twitter that forced the airline to be held accountable. This past March, a 10-month-old French bulldog puppy was killed after a flight attendant forced its owner to place him in the overhead compartment during the flight. Mass broadcasts of this event forced the airline to respond and implement new policies to protect passengers and pets.

While the sharing of these incidents in real time can serve to hold companies accountable for incidents that occur, it can also distract from real emergency situations. In the most recent airline incident, a Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing after an engine blew out, resulting in one fatality.

Some passengers chose to show images and video on social media of others in oxygen masks and the resulting damage of the landing, as well as personal stories from the flight. This can pose a problem for a multitude of reasons. If an emergency situation presents itself and passengers need to act quickly to save themselves or others, such as an over-the-water landing or an incident where the exit row passengers need to assist others, passengers picking up their phones to document the event can be distracting and dangerous.

In the Southwest situation, it can be distressing for family members to view these photos on social media without knowing full details. The information of the deceased passenger was not released for some time after the incident, and the sharing of information and photos during that time may have caused confusion and misinformation while authorities worked on the case.

While passengers can share news as they see fit, much can be said about the appropriate time and place for such documentation. For travelers’ safety and the safety of everyone, it is of the utmost importance to remain aware, put your phone down and act instead of document.

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