I
n his 1980 film Death Watch, director Bertrand Tavernier condemned the ravages of voyeurism by depicting the agony of a woman, played by Romy Schneider, unknowingly filmed for a television show. From reality TV to livestreaming, reality has long since surpassed fiction.
But the live-streamed death of Raphaël Graven – known online as Jean Pormanove or JP – on Monday, August 18, in Contes (southeastern France), after more than 12 days of livestreaming on the Kick platform, where the humiliation he endured was watched by tens of thousands of internet users, went beyond the most horrific scenarios.
It raises questions about the psychological and financial mechanisms that can make displays of sadism both popular and profitable, and how to put an end to this new form of human exploitation.
Pormanove was a 46-year-old former soldier with fragile health. For months, he had suffered mockery, humiliation and abuse from two other men during livestreamed sessions, while those watching insulted him and called for him to carry out degrading challenges − all under the guise of humor. The donations these sessions generated provided a decent income for both the victim and his tormentors.
