Internet Suicide

An invitation to suicide? If it sounds like a movie plot, it's not. Kevin Biggs, Jr. of Florida posted his suicide notice in a blog. He gave viewers of Bodybuilding.com and Justin.tv the invitation to watch.

What should have been a cry for help that was answered became morbid entertainment for website watchers on Justin.tv. Onlookers chatted and even encouraged him to do it, not even website administrators attempted to intervene, at least not according to Kevin's father.

After ingesting a lethal amount of medications used to treat bi-polar disorder, Kevin went to sleep with the webcam running. Later, he would slip into coma and die. All under the watching eyes of the World Wide Web. It would be hours before anyone from the online world would contact authorities.

This is not the first time a suicide has been committed on the Internet, last year a man hung himself with his webcam filming. Webcams make it possible to live stream everything from sex to death to the world. What is worrisome is that people have become inoculated to the pain and suffering that goes on around or in front of them and does nothing to try and help.

We have all heard stories about someone yelling for help on a busy street but no one stops. We try to rationalize that we don't want to get hurt or involved. It is impossible to rationalize not calling someone when you are watching suicide on a computer. You aren't going to be in harm's way and if it's a hoax you are anonymous. Why would you not call for help?

Have we become as cold and callous as to not care? Or are we all so engrossed in our own life that we don't want involved in anyone else's? Some viewers actually encouraged Kevin to do it. To encourage someone to commit suicide is definitely a sign that society has become callous and uncaring.

How many people watched this boy die? Justin.tv's CEO Michael Seibel refused to give out numbers on how many watchers saw Kevin's death. Why did Justin.tv administrators not step in and contact someone? Was it to gain the 'hits' of such a shocking act or did they not believe the blog? Suicide threats should be investigated regardless of their believability.

Kevin's suicide is a tragedy in more than one way. It is a devastating loss to his family. It is also a tragedy for all people in that we have reached a point that we can basically be invited to watch someone take their own life and we do nothing to stop them.