Agreeably, there is a popularity in young people not wanting to go directly to school after graduating high school and college, this is something other generations didn't see as commonly, as it wasn't nearly as accessible as it is now. Through the means of social media and internet, it has become an attainable option for young people. That being said, these same young people do not have the wisdom or knowledge of the world yet that comes with being a smart traveller, which is when they turn to social media. This turn to social media can lead to perceptions and misperceptions being built with the heavy reliance on truth coming from people on various platforms throughout social media. Ultimately, one of the main questions when travelling to a new destination is how safe is it for me? It can vary in your race, sexuality, age, and gender to the levels of how safe you may be in a certain place in the world, but as a tourist there is always a base line. In this new age of travel, the perception that is attained from media on the safety levels of travel to new destinations can be misdirected and lead to misguided decisions.
i seek adventure,
by the mountains or the sea,
this is life to me.
- G.B.
Relating to a more current issue, the recent cartel violence that ensued in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico became a major safety risk for tourists trapped in the country because of the violence beginning at the airport in Guadalajara. As gunman entered the airport and people began to see dark flames begin to rise outside from across the city as gunmen were blocking highways and setting cars ablaze, (Stechyson). Global Affairs Canada immediately advised people to exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico and avoid non-essential travel in several states, (Stechyson).
With the severity of the situation and high number of tourists from Canada currently in Mexico it was promptly broadcasted throughout all social media platforms. A place seen as a getaway for relax and comfort for many Canadians quickly turned into a question of how do I get home safely to my family? As someone who had her mother set to return home from Mexico on the day the gunmen stormed the airport it was a scary situation of what ifs and maybe’s. But as a rational person I could recognize that I was being heavily influenced by the media circulating on the topic. More specifically, because of my age I was “now almost as likely to trust information from social media sites as to trust information from national news outlets,” (Liedke and Gottfried). Because of how close I was to the situation it was hard to get lost in the speculation of social media and the lack of safety and gang violence erupting in Puerto Vallarta.
On the opposite side of that, having that connection to someone in the middle of the crisis I saw the other side of it too. The tourists were safe and told to hold in place in all hotels, reduce their travel outside of hotels for days after, and were all able to safely find a way home at the most convenient time to them. The irrational ideas coming from social media changed my perception on the safety levels within Puerto Vallarta at this time creating a wave of ideas in my mind. Whereas the tourists there at that time did not feel as I did because they were seeing everything in real time.
This situation taught me that you cannot believe everything you see on social media, even if it is on current events. This isolated event left lots of young people to believe that because we have access to social media that it is a reliable source of information to current events because you can see it for yourself as opposed to the national news outlets that may not be giving you all the information or coming from biased sources, but it is still a credible source and should be relied on as such.
Although there are reoccurring safety concerns for events that tend to be sought out travel destinations. Events like Brazil’s Carnival that “draws millions to major cities like Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, and Sao Paolo,” (Carnival). Major events like this held throughout the world are extremely popular travel destinations. Although Brazil inherently brings the risk of safety into question. The physical safety, digital security, and financial security are all at risk, (Carnival). There are high levels of theft, personal safety concerns, and locals who take advantage of the tourists in town. As young people are continuously on social media the event shows up every year for many to see, it looks like a fun party with beautiful colours, amazing dancers, and breath-taking beaches, but what you don't see is the reality of it all.
What people don't realize about this is how “not only media messages but audiences' perceptions of media shape their subsequent cognitions and behaviours,” (Zheng and Zhou 562). Ultimately you will begin to perceive these events happening globally, Carnival in this case, as happy, carefree events with nothing to worry about, when that is not the case. You must always be very aware of your surroundings, as tourist attractions are where you are more likely to be targeted.
The perception that media gives us on events like this stray's tourists from learning the basics about the places they travel to because, carefree sounds better than always be aware of everything. It's also important to “highlight the role of demographic factors, such as age, education level, occupation, and income, in modulating the relationship between media usage and risk perception,” (Sun et al.). which is why the focus is on young people, without the life experience and knowledge of things that could go wrong or the access to resources to help if it does, they are put at a bigger disadvantage when traveling to places without researching all aspects.
“Here in these circuses and carnivals we all love each other with our oddities and queernesses.” – Rawi Hage
In conclusion, are young people able to safely travel to a new destination and how has social media changed the perception of this risk for young people? Simply put, in this new age of travel, the perception that is attained from media on the safety levels of travel to new destinations can be misdirected and lead to misguided decisions.
The safety levels of new travel destination will always vary on location and current climate context. The most important thing for people to do is to research their destination through various outlets and not rely solely on social medias perception of it to influence their destinations. Travel can be safe wherever a person decides to go with the correct preparation but without, it can become unsafe very quickly.
Works cited
“Carnival Season in Brazil: How to Stay Safe in the Crowd.” On Call International. https://blog.oncallinternational.com/carnival-season-in-brazil-how-to-stay-safe-in-the-crowd/. Accessed 3 April 2026.
Liedke, Jacob and Jeffrey Gottfried. “US adults under 30 now trust information from social media almost as much as from national news outlets.” World Economic Forum, 4 November 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/11/social-media-adults-information-news-platforms/. Accessed 3 April 2026.
Stechyson, Natalie. “What to know about Mexico travel wanring as violence rocks the country.” CBC News, 23 February 2026, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mexico-travel-warning-9.7102291. Accessed 3 April 2026.
Sun et al. “The impact of the intensity of media use on potential tourists’ risk perception and travel protective behavioral intentions in COVID-19.” National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10495595/. Accessed 3 April 2026.
Zheng, Xia and Shuhuan Zhou. “Damn their Media, Damn the Other Side: Direct and Indirect Effects of Relative Hostile Media Perception on Affective Polarization.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 68, no. 4, 2024, pp. 562.
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