An article in the New York times online reported today that a young boy committed suicide on a live Webcam essentially on a dare. He did it on a website called Justin.tv where people set up Webcams, tape themselves live, and broadcast it over the Internet.
Click for article.
As the boy died, Internet onlookers were reported to have egged him on or to have simply watched as he overdosed on prescription medication for his bipolar condition. What makes this so much of a tragedy is that before his death, the boy was obviously reaching out. He needed friends, he wanted friends, and somehow he must have thought his online acquaintances WERE his friends. The online world has blurred definitions of relationships. People you haven't spoken to in years can feel like they've been in contact with you all along thanks to facebook and myspace. I wonder if the boy had had real friends would he still have died. If he'd been able to understand that the Internet is not the real world, would he be with us today
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