France: live broadcast of online streamer's death
A 46-year-old French streamer known as Jean Pormanove has died during a sadomasochistic live broadcast on the online platform Kick. He had been enduring abuse in online streams as a way of earning money. Following an autopsy, the public prosecutor's office in Nice announced that his death was not the result of direct violence. French commentators take online platforms like Kick to task.
Suffering as a spectacle
Online humiliation is a business model for many internet platforms, sociologist Julie Alev Dilmaç explains in Le Monde:
“In the case of Jean Pormanove, the humiliation is accepted by everyone involved: it is generally accepted by the person who suffers it, approved of by those who inflict it and applauded by the audience who watches. The suffering becomes a spectacle and serves as entertainment. ... In the digital world, people don't look away. Even live broadcasts of deaths attract attention. They serve not only as a lever that generates 'views' but also to bring in money that ensures the survival of these channels. Humiliation keeps platforms alive - at the cost of ruined lives.”
Ban these platforms
Le Quotidien calls for a political crackdown:
“Outraged French ministers and elected officials made a big show of their indignation in front of the cameras. But without lifting a finger. When will this impunity end? Can't this platform simply be banned? The 'punished' operators use the familiar argument: freedom of expression is under attack. This grotesque refrain is repeated ad nauseam to spread the worst horrors and allow these companies to place themselves above the law. Merely browsing the well-known social networks is enough to make you feel sick. It's high time order was restored.”