virtual life, real tragedy

Q. What do you get when you combine a very sad news story with a bout of insomnia?

A. This blog post.  

Last Friday I found myself unable to sleep.  I'm a night person by default anyway, but this particular night found me unable to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.  In the midst of my insomnia I came across several articles about Abraham Biggs (pictured to the right), a 19-year-old Florida man who killed himself last week.  

Suicide is always tragic, but what makes Abraham's case more tragic is that he chose stream his suicide live on the web.  Abraham had posted an online suicide note last Wednesday and later that day overdosed on antidepressants and streamed his slow death live over the internet via a site called Justin.tv.  

Having never heard of Justin.tv before, and unable to sleep anyway, I ventured to the website.  What I found was interesting to say the least.  Justin.tv basically functions as a live version of YouTube or MySpace in that there is live interaction between people chatting about whatever video is streaming.  Fascinated, and still unable to sleep, I explored the site.  I say what I found there was interesting because the site is a prime example of how technology continues to evolve and make the world flat.  There are tons of different channels on Justin.tv all used for different purposes.  The number one type of channel by far is the sports channel.  On these channels people from all over the world are broadcasting matches of various sports so that fans can watch live wherever they are.  For example, maybe you're from Portugal but you are currently living in California and your favorite soccer team is playing a critical match that you can't view on television in the States.  No problem, just log on to Justin.tv and someone is probably livecasting it on the site.  In addition to watching the game you can also comment and chat with other fans from around the world as they watch with you.  The second most popular type of channel is the movie channel. Same concept, bored and looking for a good movie to watch? Log on and check out one of the many movie channels (or TV channels) and see what's playing.  Comment on the film or show with people and so on, and so on.  There are also channels that livecast pottery classes, concerts, workout routines, and many other things.  

While I say this is all interesting there is also in my opinion a very dark side to Justin.tv.  Surprisingly, the dark side of Justin.tv has nothing to do with pornography, which is surprising given the nature of the site and the ubiquity of porn on the web.  As part of their terms of service Justin.tv prohibits pornographic material from being streamed on their site and they do a pretty good job at enforcing this.  The dark side I am thinking of comes in the form of what's called lifecasting.  Sometimes lifecasting involves someone streaming their daily activities, work, hobbies, etc.  Often times it involves someone simply sitting in front of their webcam trying to interact with strangers online and responding to their various comments.  In Abraham's case, he chose to livecast his death.   

In this particular case many people have expressed horror and disgust at the fact that many people were viewing Abraham's ordeal.  At the time of his death there were apparently 181 people watching his suicide.  While a few people viewing attempted to dissuade Abraham and one was finally able to contact police, most were making fun of him and encouraging his actions.  In their article on this event the New York Times noted that, "Mr. Biggs was 'egged on' by strangers who, investigators say, encouraged him to swallow the antidepressant pills that eventually killed him."  They conclude their piece with this observation and quote:

"...the virtual nature of the community — distant, largely unaccountable and often seeking entertainment — was equally ambivalent. Hours after Mr. Biggs died, some of the forum users still sounded highly skeptical of the case. Others asked to see the video."

“The anonymous nature of these communities only emboldens the meanness or callousness of the people on these sites,” Mr. Cole said. “Rarely does it bring out greater compassion or consideration.”

As I said, many have expressed outrage and disgust at the response and involvement of the online community.  Maybe it's my cynicism, maybe it's my callousness, maybe it's my theological disposition about  the nature of mankind; but frankly people's reactions online don't shock or surprise me.  Humans have been profiting from and finding entertainment in the misery of other humans for a long time.  The internet has simply provided new ways to do that.

The situation with Abraham is tragic and heart breaking, but I think it points to a bigger problem.In my opinion, the dark side of Justin.tv is not simply that the suicide of one troubled young man was viewed and encouraged there.  I think there is something dark and disturbing about the whole concept of lifecasting as it is practiced on Justin.tv (not that I'm singling out Justin.tv, there are several other lifecasting sites that are equally disturbing to me).  Exploring Justin.tv in my insomnia induced enthrallment was like viewing a train wreck of human sadness, loneliness, and disconnection.  It seems to me that the sense of "community" sites like these produce is not just false but somehow enslaving.  Countless numbers of people sitting in front of their webcams waiting for someone to interact with them and wanting some sense of human contact seems like a complete affront to human interaction and relationships as they were meant to be.  

Obviously I'm not suggesting that all online communities and interactions  are evil and destructive (I am still keeping up this blog for instance).  I am suggesting though that there is a line that can be crossed where we go from using the internet to facilitate relationship and connectivity to an illusion of community that can ultimately damage true relationships  and isolate individuals. 

This post is way too long already so I'll conclude simply by saying this: If you know someone who spends too much time online, or who is into lifecasting, don't judge them; invite them over for dinner and share life with them for real.  If this describes you, give me a call and we'll have you over for dinner.