socialmedian: 19-Year-Old Lifecaster Commits Suicide on Justin.TV [smcb]

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19-Year-Old Lifecaster Commits Suicide on Justin.TV [smcb]

Source: Mashable!

2 days ago

Summary

[Editor’s warning: many of the links in this story lead back to the original sources of the drama, and viewing them might be disturbing for some readers. Please be advised.]

In a tragic story from NewTeeVee, we learn that a 19-year-old user of the online live-streaming video service Justin.TV has apparently commit suicide in front of an audience of fellow forum dwellers egging him on during the process. The death has been confirmed with the Broward County medical examiner and the timeline has been pieced together from several different forums that have chronicled the unfortunate series of events.

Most of the participants, as well as the deceased Abraham K. Biggs, were denizens of steroid information forum bodybuilding.com. Biggs, also known as CandyJunkie on the forum and Feels Like Ecstasy on Justin.TV, is alleged to have been a “well known troll” on the forum. He created a thread in the “misc” category yesterday afternoon detailing the amount of drugs he’s going to take with the intention to kill himself.

The moderators of the forum don’t take his threats ser

...Read the full article

Comments (13)

Dekkerd,

2 days ago

sad and sick.

Kara,

1 day ago

@dekkerd I agree, this is very sad. Not only that he was in such an ill state to kill himself; but also the fact that people were egging on death. People do not realize the power they have to change someone's day for the best...or the worst. Even if it is the internet!

Kara,

1 day ago

After reading the entire article and visiting some of the links I am sick! I would not suggest to anyone else to visit the links. Horrifying.

Cjlacz,

1 day ago

@Kara, I don't really agree with you. It's pretty clear from the article and other's comments that he decided to do this without people 'egging' him on. From people who were actually there it's pretty clear the media is trying to spin it and make it more dramatic.

It's a sad story to be sure. No one should have to resort to suicide. This is just more public because he turned on his web cam. It wasn't due to cyber bullying.

Neophile,

1 day ago

Lesson learned about talk of suicide...no matter how much someone cries wolf...always take it seriously...if any language is uttered for planning the attempt... he/she must be hospitalized...the only thing surprising with this poor boy is the ability of the youtube and Web 2.0 era to broadcast it...his note rationalizing his act was unfortunately not.. and @Cjlacz, your point is taken...but the egging him on definitely did not help him as he completed the act...making all the difference for those who attempt or commit. Someone can plan and "finally" decide to do it, but the short last moments before acting upon the intention is a hinge moment that takes tremendous effort for whatever the outcome. Why do you think we "talk down" jumpers if we didn't know someone can be persuaded out of it.

Philippians Chapter 1

21 Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would be a positive gain.

22 On the other hand again, if to be alive in the body gives me an opportunity for fruitful work, I do not know which I should choose.

23 I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and to be with Christ, and this is by far the stronger desire-

24 and yet for your sake to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need.

25 This much I know for certain, that I shall stay and stand by you all, to encourage your advance and your joy in the faith,

Reading and understanding these verses is the maturity I've earned.

Josh Miller,

1 day ago

As terrible as it is, it was really just a matter of time with all this "live streaming" people are doing online.

Caermon,

1 day ago

Perhaps people will learn a lesson from this. Not just the online audience, but the cops need to take these incidents seriously as well. If enough doors get busted down when someone threatens suicide, people might think twice.

And how much you wanna bet that someone sues the police department that thought it was a joke?

Eyebee,

1 day ago

I guess that, anything that humans can do, someone will, and these days, someone will do that online. Perhaps this was a cry for attention, as attempted suicide often is, that went wrong. Perhaps the reason it was done on cam was a cry for help, and he wanted to be found and resuscitated.

Adelinejoie,

1 day ago

Yeah, the government and police ought to take cyber-crimes more seriously now.

Jeffrey Schwartz,

1 day ago

This tragedy is emblematic of extreme anxiety and depression that many in our nation, indeed, the world are feeling due to stresses beyond their control. While we are all vulnerable, these stresses (climate change, global economic meltdown, war, media sensationalism) are particularly hard on youth, who have little life experience to guide them. Many feel alone and outcast, may not have parental or other elders or peers to turn to. In these difficult times, which are likely to only get worse, it is critical that wisdom, kindness and compassion be extended by all of us whenever we have the opportunity--both in RW and online. While the boy was ultimately responsible for his actions, regardless of whether this tragedy was avoidable, there was no excuse for not making an effort to prevent it, much less encouraging it. Shame on those who did encourage him, and shame on those who did nothing. As the great Hillel once said, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am ONLY for myself, WHAT am I...?" and the original golden rule, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Bible, the rest is explanation; now go and learn."

Czaveri,

1 day ago

@eyebee completely agree!

Bethscott,

9 hours ago

...very sad and sick!!

Lemonknickers,

Dec 06, 2008

I can see how this could easily happen, just look at the state some forums can get into with disturbed people, you only need the right (wrong) combination of people to make such an event happen, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more.

Us nice folks of the Internet only see the nice stuff we choose to search for on-line, search engines like google are pretty good at making sure you won't see really sick stuff unless you type in a combination of words that mean something else in 'sicko ville' by accident.

- I expect there are websites that specialize in this subject in explicit detail - just like they do in every other warped feat of the human imagination that the net can accommodate. It's all out there - it's an extreme form of cyber bulling, what happened to this person.

I got a very mild taste of this kind of thing on blogtv where a person continued to say nasty things to me as a newbie, it's kind of fascinating to have somebody bully this way - took me back to the playground, and bad work experiences - left me drained - it was an experiment but I deleted most of the videos and just kept one - to remind myself why not to do live shows with morons again.