Apparently the killer who mowed down 49 people in the mosque in Christchurch fastened his cell phone to his chest and live streamed his mass murder on Facebook. The video was shared to other social media & Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc are scrambling to remove the video every time it gets posted again, so that the public wont see it.
My first reaction was that the public SHOULD see what guns are capable of, up close and personal, because it seems to me that people have become desensitized to news stories about “mass shooting in X”. Maybe if people actually see the carnage, they will realize that something needs to change.
But then I watched the video & it seriously looked like one of those violent video games where someone walks down hallway after hallway shooting people. It almost didn’t look real so now I worry that if this was made public, it might inspire other would-be mass murderers.
So what do you think? Would it be better or worse if the public was allowed to view such videos?
I’m not sure what you mean by “censored.” I think Facebook and the like should feel free to remove it from their platforms. (and I would encourage them to do that, mostly out of respect to the dead and injured, but also to reduce the frequency of copycats).
I don’t think the government should censor this information. But I’ll keep an open mind as this discussion unfolds.
I voted ‘no’ but not for the reason given. I just don’t think the opportunity should be available to watch actual killings as entertainment. And some people will regard it as exactly that.
I agree that people should see the carnage guns are capable of. I think that could be done other ways. They could show surviving victims being brought into surgery with gaping wounds in their bodies. They could show how people’s bodies are still tremendously damaged from being shot, years after the fact. (Both of these things would obviously require the cooperation of the victims that were shown.)
Often people seem to react as if, while the dead are dead, the wounded will be made whole by the miracles of modern medicine. But when a bullet from a high-powered rifle like an AR-15 rips through somebody’s torso, there’s no way to make them whole again: too much is just blown away. People need to see what happens to the survivors.
I know two people who inadvertently watched the video, one because it auto-started on Twitter and he didn’t stop it quickly enough, and the other because it popped up on his Facebook feed, and he didn’t realize how graphic it would be.
Both are really unhappy to have seen it.
Do I think the government should censor it? Naw. But I think Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube are wise to protect their audiences from that, however belatedly.
No. It appeals to the prurient interests of some people, and does not serve as a deterrent. People who would see horror in it don’t need to see it. People who would derive gratification from seeing it don’t need to see it.
In a previous life, we had ‘Need To Know’. The public do not have Need To Know when it comes to viewing the video.
The question probably should have been worded differently. I don’t mean censorship by the government, but rather…if you were the head of some social media platform, would you keep deleting it? If you are a parent, would you let your teenager watch it?
I still have mixed feelings because I have kids who are so desensitized about mass shootings, that I don’t think it means anything to them. They grew up hearing about them & it seems that not a week passes without another one making the news. Yawn. They don’t have the passion about gun control that I have, I think because they grew up in a world where mass shootings are the norm. They are not the types would get off on watching people slaughtered, but I do wonder if actually seeing the horror would change their mindsets.
Yes, I would keep deleting it combined with a 48 hour suspension of service for anyone who posts it. I would also make exceedingly sure that the user agreement spells out that these kinds of violent images will not be tolerated.
Fuck. I’d like it to never be seen but censorship makes problems worse and it’s too late anyway.
We really do need to break up companies like Google, FaceBook, YouTube, whatever… Because people won’t stop using them when there’s no palatable alternative and those companies don’t feel any pain as a result of being a tool for terrorists. If their users start jumping ship because they let this crap happen then things will change.
Should? Should isn’t really a question. That cat is out of the bag. There is no way to stop it, really, and the government(s) that try will fail. Look at China or even North Korea…they try and stifle things all the time. And they fail…all the time. It’s not a matter of ‘should’…it’s a matter of how you respond. So I picked other. I don’t want to see the video. I won’t watch it. But there is no way to stop it, really.
First offense. If you want to have a discussion about escalating responses for repeat offenders then I’m open to that talk.
Probably true but, as the head of a media outlet, I can choose to respond by not actively disseminating violent imagery of criminal acts related to an ongoing investigation to those who may not be seeking it out. People who want this experience are going to find it but that doesn’t mean I have to aid them in their search.
Sure, you can do that. And wrt your business, you probably should make that choice. YouTube can choose to ban it as well (I’d be surprised if they haven’t’ already, especially with their AI auto-ban stuff). But there is no way to prevent it from getting out. The US, or the EU or any other country or group of countries like the EU can officially ban it, but that’s fairly meaningless. People who want to see it will see it. So, the answer to the OP is, IMHO, other. It’s going to happen. We all need to deal with the consequences of that in the real world wrt the video going out to the public.
Fuck the first offense. Long term suspension and investigation. Pass their names on to law enforcement. Delay time to check anything they post after the suspension is up.
That presumes these companies have banned this stuff in their user agreements, which I’m sure they can change at will starting right now.
Journalist and researcher reported here says yes, delete this stuff anywhere you find it, don’t watch it, don’t share it - and this actually makes a difference in fighting these sort of crimes.
Everyone here seems to be focusing on the people who would jerk off watching the video and possibly be inspired to copy. But there is also a segment of the population who would have the opposite reaction. Caleb Keater, one of the musicians at the Mandalay Bay shooting was an avid gun nut/NRA supporter…up until such time that he saw that mass shooting in person. The experience completely changed his position on gun control, which makes me wonder how many other Second Amendment enthusiasts might follow suit if they actually saw the carnage with their own eyes.
I don’t like the culture of fifteen-minute fame. With the wide reach of the internet and the ability to have literally millions of people seeing the crap you do, it’s become possible for people to achieve feel-good gratification just by putting crap out there for people to see. People can become famous, internet famous, which is more than famous enough as far as the person seeking fame is concerned.
And what achieves fame, what achieves notice and clicks and reposts and such, are the least valuable aspects of human society and behavior. Virtually nothing that spreads widely and rapidly over the internet is good. The fastest way to fame is to be shitty and awful - sensationally bad.
Killing for fame and views is just the natural conclusion of this whole trend.
So yeah, take it down, toot sweet. Show that fame-seeking trolls have to find less murderous ways to stink up the airways. We can’t stop the flow of slime but if we can disincentivize at least the very worst of the worse, then that’s a minuscule victory. And even minuscule victories are good.