Normalization of Deviance

| 4 minutes read, 737 words

There has been a trend among aviation content creators during the last years where it’s all about being on the brink of disaster almost on every single flight. One of them even jumped out of his airplane (which then crashed) just to make a video of it.

Lately a new trend has emerged, where everyone that has ever mentioned airplanes are doing their own accident investigations - before the rescue workers have even left the accident site. And in the process they spread all kinds of rumors and misinformation. Completely without any regard for the crew involved in the accident. The pillory is back.

I don’t like this trend. I think it’s detrimental to the entire aviation community.

This is normalization of deviance

To me, this is normalization of deviance. It’s all about the views, and being increasingly extreme - or in the case of accidents, being earlier than possible. With the most sensational coverage possible. And then some.

The definition of normalization of deviance according to Wikipedia is:

Normalization of deviance, according to American sociologist Diane Vaughan, is the process in which deviance from correct or proper behavior or rule becomes culturally normalized

I asked ChatGPT to relate the two for me:

Just as in aviation, where small deviations from safety protocols can slowly become the norm until a major accident occurs, the same can be said for the behavior we’re seeing with aviation content creators. What started as an attempt to create more dramatic or sensational content—such as staging dangerous stunts or rushing to report on accidents before proper investigations are done—has now become a normalized practice. This is a classic case of normalization of deviance: what was once seen as reckless or extreme behavior is now accepted as part of the content creation landscape. In the process, the true risks, both to the reputation of those involved and to the general public’s trust in aviation, are overlooked.

I have to admit that I overlooked the effect this has on the general public’s trust in aviation, until I heard one of the remaining good content creators comment that the media doesn’t really know aviation. They rely on experts. Experts which very well might be just yet another opinionated amateur content creator, that doesn’t really know what he’s talking about. The same applies to the clickbaiting extremes. When every single flight is an emergency, it’s easy to believe aviation is more dangerous than it really is.

Much worse than that, it’s easy for new pilots to believe that this is how you’re supposed to behave. You’re supposed to take unnecessary risks. And you’re supposed to spread false rumors about other pilots, and even question if they are qualified to fly or not. This is all false! But it has been normalized over the last years.

This is not the way to inspire and recruit new aviators.

Being an aviator is more than just being able to fly the airplane

Being an aviator, and not just an operator, is so much more than just being able to fly the airplane. Good judgement, and making the right decisions is a vital part of it. This is a big part of what we call airmanship. I’m gonna say it’s the most important part. Knowing when to stay on the ground, is more important than knowing how to land an airplane.

A superior pilot uses his superior judgement to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill.

-Frank Borman

Unfortunately, the judgement that is showcased by many today is not the kind of judgement we want to teach new aviators. This is not how we foster great airmanship.

We as the aviation community need to do better.

I know my tiny blog is hidden in a corner of the Internet which not many people visit, but I have been wanting to write about this for a long time now. Aviation can be very safe. Aviation can be extremely fun and rewarding. And aviation is way more accessible than most people realize.

We need good role models

As a student pilot, or even a newly certificated pilot, we need role models. Good role models.

Luckily there are still a few good content creators left out there. If you’re looking for inspiration, have a look at the following creators: