• Deathcasting refers to the practice of live broadcasting one's death using an online broadcasting service.Sean Percival's Blog: Deathcasting Was Inevitable (November 21, 2008) So-called lifecasting or lifestreaming websites such as Justin.tv and Ustream allow users to create create free web broadcasts using only a computer and a webcam. In November of 2008, 19-year-old Florida resident Abraham K. Biggs broadcast his suicide on Justin.tv while up to 1,500 viewers watched.Times Online: Horror as teenager commits suicide live online (November 21, 2008)

• Fast Facts

  1. A deathcast is a live broadcast of a death
  2. Live video streaming sites can be used for deathcasts, although the practice is not encouraged or condonedNewTeeVee: 19-year-old Commits Suicide on Justin.tv (November 20, 2008)
  3. Most live video streaming sites allow viewers to comment on broadcasts via chatrooms
  4. 19-year old Abraham K. Biggs broadcast his suicide live on Justin.tv in November of 2008
  5. Several viewers of Biggs' broadcast reportedly encouraged him to commit suicideTimes Online: Horror as teenager commits suicide live online (November 21, 2008)

• Quotes

  "In a new media world, lifestreaming yourself is common place to us geeks. For younger generations however they are now inheriting these services as part of their own adolescence. Mix the ongoing popularity race of life with the power of these new technologies and you get something very compelling, and other times just plain scary."—Author and web developer Sean PercivalSean Percival's Blog: Deathcasting Was Inevitable (November 21, 2008)

  "NewTeeVee, an online-video industry publication, called the incident a "a striking display of the power of live video." The power, but definitely not the glory: It shows how the viewers of lifecasting devalue life. Users of sites like Justin.tv have grown accustomed to watching people mug for the camera. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women on webcams are merely players. But what happens when we're not playing around?"—Owen Thomas, writer for ValleywagValleywag: Deathcasting: Suicide by Webcam (November 20, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Cyber-Suicide | Abraham K Biggs | Justin TV | Suicide | Ustream | Kevin Whitrick | Assisted Suicide

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