On August 18, the death of Raphaël Graven, better known by his pseudonym Jean Pormanove, a content creator on the Kick platform, was made public after a nonstop 12-day livestream. Graven, who died in his sleep, had become known for enduring repeated harassment from two companions, staged as a series of challenges over the course of several years.
During these livestreams, Graven and a young man with a disability identified as “Coudoux” were insulted, strangled, mocked, slapped, threatened, and even denied medical care, against a backdrop of ableism. These unbearable acts of physical and verbal violence, which the streamers euphemistically referred to as “concepts,” were watched by thousands of viewers.
This episode prompts us to question our contemporary relationship with humiliation and its many meanings. Contempt from political leaders, the silencing of certain populations, mobbing [a form of collective moral harassment] in the workplace, and degrading treatment imposed by some companies are all forms of humiliation that have become increasingly insidious. However, they are now being vigorously condemned through international movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, awareness campaigns against harassment, and social movements demanding dignity and recognition, like the Yellow Vest movement.
Online humiliation exists
In an era when social denigration is both more prevalent and less acceptable, how can we explain the paradox of people seeking fame and perfecting their online reputations by exposing devalued images of themselves or others?
After the tragedy, Graven’s case sparked an intense debate. Online, people questioned who was responsible. Should “aggressors,” who escalated the violence and constantly pushed the limits of what could be done to another person, be blamed? Or the “victim,” who built his notoriety by voluntarily exposing himself to humiliation? Or the viewers whose clicks and contributions kept the channel alive? Recently, attention has turned to the authorities. The regulation of platforms and the legality of such practices are now being called into question.
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