Influencers face backlash for 'tragedy tourism' during Hurricane Melissa

Many TikTok and Instagram videos are sparking backlash arsenic influencers traveled to Jamaica amid Hurricane Melissa.

One TikToker with implicit 150,000 followers posted a video showing herself traveling to Jamaica during the historical Category 5 storm.

"Hurricane Melissa retired present messing with my vacation," said the substance connected the video.

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Another video showed 2 frozen cocktails with the caption, "Pretending there’s not a class 5 hurricane hitting Jamaica."

The videos present look to person been deleted.

Some TikTok influencers (not pictured) person faced disapproval for posting abrogation contented during Hurricane Melissa successful Jamaica. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Another traveler with 680,000 followers was seen posting videos successful "hurricane acceptable check" videos, receiving thousands of reactions.

Hundreds of different TikTokers took to the comments conception to dependable their opinions astir the sensitivity of the videos.

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"This procreation is truthful unserious," said 1 user.

Another idiosyncratic wrote, "You person nary thought what you are astir to spell through. Be safe."

A societal media adept has called retired "tragedy tourism" arsenic assorted TikTokers (not pictured) appeared to exploit Hurricane Melissa successful Jamaica for online contented and followers. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

"You are wholly surrounded by windows that are not boarded up. Why is that," cautioned a user.

A TikToker wrote, "This is truthful retired of touch."

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"Terrible hurricane outfit if you’re gonna beryllium navigating breached solid and nails and flying debris," commented 1 user. "You person nary thought what you’re up against."

Another idiosyncratic wrote, "I’m truthful gladsome you guys are successful bully spirits and staying positive."

"The emergence successful calamity tourism wherever wanna-be influencers exploit catastrophes for contented is conscionable despicable," said a societal media critic. "It takes attraction and resources distant from existent victims." (Ricardo Makyn/AFP via Getty Images)

Steamboat Institute chap and societal media professional Brad Polumbo told Fox News Digital that this is an illustration of "tragedy tourism."

"The emergence successful calamity tourism wherever wanna-be influencers exploit catastrophes for contented is conscionable despicable," helium said. "It takes attraction and resources distant from existent victims, and it monetizes quality trauma. It’s symbolic of everything that’s gone incorrect with an attention-at-any-cost civilization connected societal media."

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He said young radical who prosecute successful calamity tourism whitethorn not recognize they're profiting from suffering, arsenic "ragebait and influencer culture" person go normalized connected societal media.

Polumbo said this inclination is portion of Gen Z and societal media culture’s "broader fixation with attraction arsenic currency."

A antheral looks astatine a fallen histrion successful St. Catherine, Jamaica, soon earlier Hurricane Melissa made landfall connected Oct. 28, 2025. (Ricardo Makyn/AFP via Getty Images)

"Young radical are incentivized to bash thing for attention, nary substance however insensitive, obnoxious oregon adjacent unsafe it is," helium said. "There are galore examples of contented creators virtually dying during stunts they pulled for ‘content.'"

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"Intentionally flying into a hurricane’s way is conscionable different illustration of this self-destruction trend," Polumbo added.

The scope of the catastrophe successful the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa is conscionable starting to travel into absorption a week aft the record-setting tempest made landfall, Fox Weather reported.

It was the astir almighty tempest to straight deed Jamaica. 

Officials successful Jamaica said Monday that astatine slightest 32 radical person been killed by Melissa and different 8 unconfirmed deaths are being investigated, the aforesaid root noted. 

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Flooding from the tempest has near astatine slightest 31 radical dormant successful adjacent Haiti, according to the country's Civil Protection Department, Fox Weather besides reported. 

It was the astir almighty tempest to straight deed Jamaica — and the archetypal large hurricane to bash truthful since 1988, according to Reuters.