Guest ozzie Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I read this today and thought it could be also relevant to pilots. Not long ago the Skydiving community was knocked for a six when two people were involved in a canopy collision that ultimately claimed both lives. The problem that came from this was the amount of misinformation that had been posted on various social media outlets. Please read this article that has been written by the spouse of one of those involved. Something to learn here. http://www.skydivemag.com/article/surviving-death-online?fwd=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrZoos Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Good article , for those that dont want to click and just want the jist of it read below, but the inital part about ho wall the social media posts on facebook etc caused a lot of confusion and pain is well worth a read. Positive Communication Reactions I’m sure we can all spot the themes here. So what can we all learn from what has happened? I had a chat with Stu about this and here are a few things that you could choose to do in various scenarios… If you… 1, Believe that your friend may be involved in an accident Take a breath, STOP and think: how is the best way to get hold of this person? In particular, if I choose to communicate on a public social forum, what repercussions might that have? Call your friend by phone. If this fails, text them. Try to establish communications with them directly, one-to-one. If they are ok, they will answer. If they are not ok, be prepared for the fact that they won’t answer. Physically go to your friend’s house/the drop zone/where you believe they are. When you get there, find out who’s in charge. If you’re up to it, volunteer to help. Otherwise, wait for news from official channels. This means the police, an APF Area Safety Officer or the APF office… or if you are in their inner circle, from their partner, parent, sibling, etc. It’s really hard but the main things you might need to do in this situation are to wait and be patient. If you… 2, Know the spouse of a person involved in an accident (I mean really know them, as in, you are in their inner circle of 3-5 closest friends): Same as above…. Call them and find out where they are, and ask what you can do to help. Physically get to them if you can because they will be out of their mind with worry and panic, and potentially, grief. They will need your practical/physical help, a ride to the airport maybe, cash, a toothbrush, clothes. They will neither see nor care about a message you’ve sent them via Facebook. (A friend of Stu’s flew down from Mission Beach because Stu didn’t answer his phone! What a champ.) If you… 3, Know an accident has taken place and you want to find out information about who, what, why, where Take a breath, STOP and think: why do I need this information? What am I going to do with it? Are there other people who should receive this information before me? Question yourself: if I choose to communicate on a public social forum, what implications would that have? Wait ten minutes to consider the consequences, then take your chosen action (if any). Wait for information. If you can’t get any info through private channels then you are far enough removed that you can wait for official reports to come out. If you… 4, Know a fatal accident has taken place and you feel you want to share information about it with other people: Take a breath, STOP and think: are you performing a role on behalf of the APF, the drop zone or the police/emergency services? If not, you need to think carefully about who you share information with, how you share it, and what the repercussions may be, such as media leaks, incorrect information reaching families. If you… 5, Are at the drop zone when an accident takes place: Let your loved ones know you are ok! If you must use Facebook, just a simple, “I’m ok” on your status is all you need. Better still, make a non-sensational post such as ‘going to dinner with friends’, which tells your family/friends you are okay but doesn’t fan the rumor mill. Stay close to the police, your Chief Instructor, and other instructors who will direct you to available support if you need it… or, Talk to a close friend or family member 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDQDI Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Spot on! It is actually something that we now have to talk about with any new members in our local rescue squad, before Facebook it didn't seem to be a problem but now we all seem to have this silly habit of needing to tell everyone everything we are doing. She is spot on, there are correct channels for family to find out that their loved one is hurt/dead and the rumour mill is NOT one of them. I will be the first to admit that I have stuffed up in the past and said things out of turn and at the end of the day sitting down and holding off for ten minutes isn't going to be the end of the world and you may just realise you don't have to say what you were going to say and might just save yourself some regrets (not to mention you will be less likely to unnecessarily hurt those involved) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrZoos Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Personally I dont dispute a thing she says, but I think shes largely fighting an already largely lost battle.. Social media responding to events has filled the void that traditional media is unable to do...and that is respond immediately... So few people will read this and only some will take it on board... Tongues will continue to wag and rumours will continue to fly. People have an insatiable appetite for breaking news of interest and being the bearer of news for egocentric reasons. In my past roll for a decade we always had to shut up and fought the social media barrage of misinformation sometimes for days weeks, months and occasionally results of social media misinformation would land several people in court on very serious charges, for a variety of reasons. In my industry we began educating people and fighting this around 6 years ago and it barely makes a dent... With this audience who read and think, it might have an impact, but in larger society...???? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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