Are social media encouraging bone-headed nature stunts?

If you've ever visited theGrand Canyon, it's hard to miss the massive tome which routinelyoutsells every thriller on the gift shop shelves.

It'scalled Over the Edge: Death in The Grand Canyon. And from murder to suicide to stunts gone horriblywrong, the book chronicles in painstaking and fascinating detailevery death in the national park's recorded history.

• Canadians shamed for disrespecting American landmarks

• 'Moose rider' caught on YouTube video charged

Chances are,afew hundred metres away from the cash register where you purchase your copy, you'll see no end oftourists vying to make the next edition.

People doing the same kind of thing naturallyas the"High On Life" crew did when they visited the Grand Canyonduring an ill-fated road-trip which saw the youngVancouveritesturn from social media darlings to viral villains for allegedly disobeying rulesat Yellowstone National Park.

At the Grand Canyon, they hammed it up for the camera, did hand-stands on the edge of perilous cliffs and sat on rocky outcrops trying to look deep.

Michael Ghiglieri, the co-author of Over The Edge: Death in The Grand Canyon, has literally seenand written it all before.

He's currently revising the book for about the 20thtime.It contains 200 more names than it did 15 years ago.

As he talks on the phone, he searches the volume for a date and a name: July 1, 1925. On that day 19-year-old Clarence Arthur Anderson perished of heat stroke after boasting that he could complete a29 kilometre hike in record time on one of the hottest days of the year.

"The point being that this was 91 years ago and before any of these social media and his motivation was to be somebody," Ghiglierisays from his home in Flagstaff, Ariz.

"Even if there were no social media, there would stillbe guys doing these stupid things. And they don't think they're stupid; that's what's amazing to me."

'Why are people so oblivious?'

Some men achieve fame through years of toil, sweat and study. Others do it by riding a moose.

Two separate cases involving Canadians accused of disrespecting nature have now resulted in charges.

Arrest warrants were issued in Wyoming for three of the four "High On Life" team members. They wereexpected to make acourt appearance by telephonethis week.

And conservation officers in B.C. have laidcharges under the Wildlife Act againsttwo men accused of harassing a moose before one jumped on the pooranimal'sback.

The wording is different in each jurisdiction, but thebasic charge boils down to "doing stupid stuff in the wild in front of a camera." Their alleged actions have earned them international rebuke and voluminousretweets. But why do they do it in the first place?

Ghiglieri says he and co-author Thomas Myers didn't really ask the question "why are people so oblivious, stupid andinattentive."

But he has his opinions.

"The big picture answer is that we are somewhat domesticated species and parks are supposed to be safe. But for young people the concept of safety is no longer what it used to be, in the context that they're supposed to do things which are unsafe," he says.

"If the rule is 'don't step across that line,' then I should have my picture on the other side of that line."

The Grand Canyon:backdrop to me!

At 69, Ghiglieristillalso works as a guide, taking people on tours where they can get dangerously close to wildlife in Africa. In the past 20 years, he says he's noticed a change in the relationship many of his customers have with nature thathe attributes in part to social media.

Where he wouldpreviously point out a vista,a monumentor even an animal of some significance, the clientused to take a picture. Now, "universally,"the camera is handed to the guide to get a shot of the tourist in situ.

"It's not about what you really do experience. It's not about what you accomplish. It's about the photo-documentary aspect for bragging rights," he says.

"The price of admission to being a worthy human being is to have a Facebook page with some accomplishments that are unusual."

That's certainly the vibe of the"High On Life" road-trip the Grand Canyon andTimes Square are great;in fact, all of America is pretty cool, but what really takes it to the next levelis the fact I'm here.

Likewise, the moose ridinghas the "check out how crazy I am"feel of an antic that used to be recounted for effectatparties. A camera. A moose. A man. What choice did they have?

"I never seen something so awesome!" someone shouts as the rider tries to stay with the moose cowboy-style.

But like many great party tales, it turns out you had to be there to get the joke. And the more thantwomillionpeople who shared the experience onYouTubearenot laughing.

'What's the payoff for riding the moose?'

Marc Green, a Toronto-based expert on psychology who has written about the effectiveness of warning signs, says the first rule in analyzing human behaviour is to excise the word "stupid"from your vocabulary.

People just do what they do, he says; they always have a reason.

"I can ride the moose or I can not ride the moose. If I ride the moose there's some probability I'll have a bad event. But there's some probability something good will come out of it: I'll have a YouTube video," Green says.

"So what they're probably saying is: 'What's the payoff for riding the moose, and what's the penalty?And what's the probability of the two?"

"And they decide the utility is greater for riding the moose than not riding the moose. So they ride the moose."

They may well have considered the possibility that a video shared with friends would have huge payoff in a closed circle. But how many of usthink about global condemnation before we post anything online?

Ghiglieridoesn't sound like he's going to stop using the word "stupid"anytime soon.

He sounds a bit wistful as he describes his motivation in first chronicling death at the Grand Canyon. He had actually hoped to solve a problem.

It's a similar situationto the one he often encountersas a member of a local search and rescue team, saving people foolish enough to think we ever have the upper hand on wilderness..

Some days,Ghiglieri says, it justfeels like he's battling natural selection.