At this point, it's pretty clear that whoever first decided to add a comments section to their website opened Pandora's box.
Because once that started and especially once the idea of giving everyone online a voice ballooned into the concept of social media, we've learned exactly how people tend to use the platforms they have.
But while we tend to associate those platforms with their worst users, it's also true that big moments in people's lives often attract as many messages of heartfelt support as they do hateful comments.
And we've also seen that when you get enough people together, at least some of them are going to notice something important. And in the case of one man in Seattle, his viewers' sharp eyes were likely lifesaving.