In a tragic story coming out of Detroit, an 11-year-old boy has killed himself because he believed his girlfriend had committed suicide, according to ABC. His mother, Katrina Goss, says that she found her son, Tysen Benz, hanging by the neck in his room after seeing pictures on social media that indicated that his girlfriend had killed herself.
She hadn't
In what Goss describes to ABC as a "sick, twisted joke," it appears that the "prank" was orchestrated by a group of girls who were friends with the girlfriend. To what end remains to be seen. Goss reports having seen Tysen only 40 minutes before suicide, when he appeared to be in a normal mental state, and says that we have culture desensitized to online bullying because it is such a part of our lives.
"Social media harassment, bullying and pranking is a huge issue," Goss told ABC. "The way it's used nowadays, kids are desensitized to social media and it really does hurt people." As the situation stands, intent is not clear. The police department has taken juveniles into custody, but have not commented on the relationship of the juvenile to the victim or their age. The prosecutor has also declined to comment.
Internet Harrassment
In the classic tale of "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo kills himself because Juliet fakes her death, but he believes it. The story of Tysen Benz is a heartbreaking example of the real-life ramifications of how your words and actions affect others, even if said online.
In the Netflix documentary "Audrie and Daisy," documentarians noted the growing lack of demeanor and, in many cases, outright contempt present in internet culture today.
The documentary follows a girl alleging rape, and the vitriol that she receives from the community, particularly online, speaks volumes, with some calling her names like "Skank" or starting the hashtag "#IHateDaisy."
According to CNN, Americans spend spend more than 10 hours per day online, and the number is only growing. Along with the technological advancements made in many years come difficult, and sometimes fatal, challenges.
Others have noted that online harassment gets in the way of community engagement, and is a persistent problem in online environments. The question of how we ultimately responsibly interact with the new world of technology is so necessary that even big budget blockbusters like "Black Mirror" are talking about it, notably in episodes like "Nosedive" or "Hated in the Nation."
While it still isn't clear what the girls related to Tysen Benz's suicide intended to cause, or whether they intended to cause anything at all, the stark fact remains that either they intended that outcome or they didn't. However, in the digital age, negligence can be as dangerous as intent.
