It is getting more and more difficult to separate our digital personas from our actual lives – they are simply too intertwined these days for the connected world, and while there are benefits to it, no doubt this is also a two-edged sword. For instance, the app Periscope allows the whole world to look into your everyday life, which can be pretty entertaining for some, but horrifying if implemented the wrong way.
For instance, a 19-year old woman in Arpajon, France, texted her friends as to what she was about to do – to commit suicide by throwing herself onto the path of a commuter train. Needless to say, it was a gruesome death, and not something that should be seen by anyone if possible. Periscope viewers heard the woman (whose identity was withheld by the authorities) say, “The video I am doing right now is not made to create the buzz but rather to make people react, to open the minds, and that’s it.”
Viewers comprise of a whole lot of different people, where most of them do seem to have mocked the woman, while some other comments included “We’re waiting,” and “I think it’s fun.” The screen went dark shortly afterwards without any noise, and in a few minutes, the picture and sound returned, while an emergency worker was overheard, “I am under the train with the victim; I need to move the victim.” At that point in time, the train could be viewed in the background. Suicide on social media is nothing new, but it does happen from time to time.