Suicide of Ronnie McNutt: Difference between revisions

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Line 5: \| name = Ronnie McNutt \| image = \| caption = ~~McNutt talking to his ex-girlfriend on the livestream~~ \| birth_name = Ronald Merle McNutt \| birth_date = {{Birth date\|1987\|5\|23}} Line 16: \| occupation = Former Army Reserve soldier, former factory worker }} '''~~Ronnie~~Ronald Merle McNutt''' (May 23, 1987 – August 31, 2020) was a 33-year-old American man and [[United States Army Reserve\|US Army Reserve]] [[veteran]] from [[New Albany, Mississippi]], who ~~committed~~killed ~~suicide~~himself by shooting himself under his chin on a [[Facebook]] livestream, which went viral on various social media platforms due to its inherent [[shock value]]. The case became notable for both the callous attitude expressed towards McNutt’s death by some Internet users, as well as Facebook's slow response to the video, which had been shared to numerous other platforms and amassed a large view count before finally being taken down, though the video can be still be found on various [[Shock site\|shock website]]s. [[TikTok]] was also slow to respond to the video, which had appeared in many user feeds and constant re-uploads, leading to many users choosing to boycott the platform.<ref name="Refinery29">{{cite web \|last1=Cortés \|first1=Michelle Santiago \|title=Let's Talk About The Graphic Video Going Viral On TikTok \|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/10012185/tiktok-suicide-video-reactions \|website=www.refinery29.com \|publisher=Refinery29 \|access-date=March 24, 2022 \|archive-date=December 9, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209210122/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/10012185/tiktok-suicide-video-reactions \|url-status=live }}</ref> The case has raised awareness about both [[suicide prevention]] and what duty of care social media platforms owe to users and victims' reputations online when it comes to graphic violent content.<ref name = Dickson>{{cite web \|last1=Dickson \|first1=EJ \|title=Why Did Facebook Keep a Man's Livestreamed Suicide Up for Hours? \|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/facebook-tiktok-livestream-suicide-1056959/ \|website=www.rollingstone.com \|date=September 9, 2020 \|publisher=Rolling Stone \|access-date=March 24, 2022 \|archive-date=November 23, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123163911/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/facebook-tiktok-livestream-suicide-1056959/ \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Coldewey \|first1=Devin \|title=Graphic video of suicide spreads from Facebook to TikTok to YouTube as platforms fail moderation test \|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/13/graphic-video-of-suicide-spreads-from-facebook-to-tiktok-to-youtube-as-platforms-fail-moderation-test/ \|website=techcrunch.com \|date=September 13, 2020 \|publisher=TechCrunch \|access-date=March 24, 2022 \|archive-date=March 23, 2024 \|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240323014914/https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/13/graphic-video-of-suicide-spreads-from-facebook-to-tiktok-to-youtube-as-platforms-fail-moderation-test/?_guc_consent_skip=1711158590 \|url-status=live }}</ref> Line 27: ==Suicide== {{More citations needed section\|date=November 2024}} On August 31, 2020, McNutt began a [[Facebook]] [[Live streaming\|livestream]]. His best friend, Joshua Steen, noticed the stream. He did not initially find it unusual as McNutt had routinely done livestreams in the past, but he became alarmed when he realized that McNutt was intoxicated and holding a bolt action rifle.<ref name = Dickson/> Steen allegedly attempted to intervene numerous times, particularly when McNutt misfired the rifle, hoping that Facebook would cut off the stream and end the video feed, preventing people from seeing into McNutt's home while Steen sought police intervention. Facebook refused to cut the stream, claiming that the stream was not in any violation of its platform's guidelines, as McNutt had not ~~committed~~attempted suicide yet.<ref name=":0" /> As the stream went on, McNutt's mobile phone rang frequently. The last call he received was from his ex-girlfriend, which he answered, leading to a brief argument between the two.~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2024}}~~ After she ended the call, McNutt took hold of the gun and addressed the audience for the final time, saying his last words, "Hey guys, I guess that's it."~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2024}}~~ He then aimed the rifle under his chin and [[Suicide by gun\|fatally shot himself]].~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2024}}~~ About a second before his suicide, the phone he had left on his desk began to ring.~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2024}}~~ The stream was captured by multiple viewers.<ref>{{cite web \|last1=LeMaster \|first1=C.J. \|title=Criticism lobbed at social media companies after suicide video of Mississippi man goes viral \|url=https://www.wdam.com/2020/09/09/criticism-lobbed-social-media-companies-after-suicide-video-mississippi-man-goes-viral/ \|website=www.wdam.com \|date=September 10, 2020 \|publisher=WDAM7 News \|access-date=March 24, 2022 \|archive-date=October 3, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003004651/https://www.wdam.com/2020/09/09/criticism-lobbed-social-media-companies-after-suicide-video-mississippi-man-goes-viral/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> The New Albany Police Department had been called to the scene during the livestream, but did not enter McNutt's apartment until after they heard the fatal gunshot; his phone was still ringing as officers searched the scene. Police Chief Chris Robertson reported that his officers had secured the perimeter and evacuated nearby residents before attempting to communicate with McNutt via speakerphone, to no avail.<ref>{{cite web \|last1=McEvoy \|first1=Jemima \|title=Friend Of Ronnie McNutt, Whose Livestreamed Suicide Went Viral, Says Facebook Could've Stopped It \|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/09/09/friend-of-ronnie-mcnutt-whose-livestreamed-suicide-went-viral-says-facebook-couldve-stopped-it/ \|work=[[Forbes]] \|access-date=March 24, 2022 \|archive-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325003540/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/09/09/friend-of-ronnie-mcnutt-whose-livestreamed-suicide-went-viral-says-facebook-couldve-stopped-it/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> Line 40 ⟶ 41: ===Viral spread=== The video was downloaded and posted online, ~~and~~beginning the ~~spread~~proliferation of the livestream ~~started. Then~~on the web. The video of McNutt's suicide was posted by users across social media platforms such as Facebook, [[YouTube]], [[TikTok]], and [[Instagram]], often as [[Bait-and-switch\|bait-and-switch content]]. According to ''[[Heavy (website)\|Heavy]]'', Facebook also initially refused to prevent the spread of recorded video of McNutt's misfire and suicide but later agreed to remove the videos from its platform.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web \|last=Warnock \|first=Caroline \|date=2020-09-10 \|title=Ronnie McNutt's Friend Says Facebook Didn't Do Enough to Stop Suicide Livestream \|url=https://heavy.com/news/2020/09/ronnie-mcnutt-facebook-video/ \|access-date=2023-01-02 \|website=Heavy.com \|language=en-US \|archive-date=December 15, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215142017/https://heavy.com/news/2020/09/ronnie-mcnutt-facebook-video/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> McNutt had not expressed any intent for the viral spread to occur. Variants of the video appeared in TikTok's "For You" page, so that users would scroll upon it without warning as the suicide automatically played, [[Shock site\|with the apparent intention of frightening or upsetting viewers]] as a form of [[Troll (slang)\|trolling]]. The #ronniemcnutt hashtag had 15.6 million views on TikTok within the first few days after the suicide.<ref name="Refinery29"/> Line 47 ⟶ 48: ===Public response=== The incident was compared to the filmed suicides of anchorwoman [[Christine Chubbuck]] and politician [[R. Budd Dwyer\|R.{{nbs}}Budd Dwyer]].<ref>{{cite web \|title=Ep. 3: The public suicide squad \|url=https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/jack-of-all-graves/ep-3-the-public-suicide-squad-o5dOSIwMu8x/ \|website=www.listennotes.com \|date=September 13, 2020 \|publisher=Jack of All Graves \|access-date=March 25, 2022}}</ref> A large margin of the response online was one of sympathy towards McNutt, with users using the case as an opportunity to discuss [[mental health]] and [[suicide prevention]], as well as concern over the video's prevalence online. Some [[TikTok]] users announced [[boycott]]s of the platform until the suicide video was completely taken down, while other users began posting prayers and messages of respect and commemoration for McNutt in the comments sections of the video uploads.<ref name="Refinery29"/><ref>{{cite web \|last1=MacDonald \|first1=Cheyenne \|title=Sharing a video of a person's suicide doesn't make you edgy. It makes you a POS. \|url=https://www.inputmag.com/culture/sharing-a-video-of-a-persons-ronnie-mcnutt-suicide-on-facebook-live-doesnt-make-you-edgy-it-makes-you-a-pos \|website=www.inputmag.com \|date=September 7, 2020 \|publisher=Input \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=October 1, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001124402/https://www.inputmag.com/culture/sharing-a-video-of-a-persons-ronnie-mcnutt-suicide-on-facebook-live-doesnt-make-you-edgy-it-makes-you-a-pos \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Steinbuch \|first1=Yaron \|title=Army veteran Ronnie McNutt commits suicide in Facebook livestream \|url=https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/army-veteran-kills-himself-in-facebook-livestream/ \|website=nypost.com \|date=September 8, 2020 \|publisher=New York Post \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=January 9, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109191351/https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/army-veteran-kills-himself-in-facebook-livestream/ \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Lewis \|first1=Rachel Charlene \|title=Very OnlineYou Can't Escape Death on TikTok \|url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/tiktok-death-and-suicide-videos-trending \|website=www.bitchmedia.org \|publisher=Bitch Media \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=November 1, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101135939/https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/tiktok-death-and-suicide-videos-trending \|url-status=dead }}</ref> Many parents reported that their children were highly distressed after encountering the video, with one girl becoming physically ill and needing to sleep with the lights on.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news \|last1=Wakefield \|first1=Jane \|title=TikTok tries to remove widely shared suicide clip \|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54069650 \|website=www.bbcnews.com \|date=September 8, 2020 \|publisher=BBC News \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=September 8, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908141737/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54069650 \|url-status=live }}</ref> Another parent argued that she fears her children, who accidentally discovered the video on TikTok, may have [[post-traumatic stress disorder]].<ref name="Bedo">{{cite web \|last1=Bedo \|first1=Stephanie \|title=Ronnie McNutt suicide video leaves kids traumatised after platforms struggle to remove it \|url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/ronnie-mcnutt-suicide-video-leaves-kids-traumatised-after-platforms-struggle-to-remove-it/news-story/1dea8b68b23fcbdc5134e4725a607bd5 \|website=www.news.com.au \|publisher=News.com.AU \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=September 8, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908075724/https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/ronnie-mcnutt-suicide-video-leaves-kids-traumatised-after-platforms-struggle-to-remove-it/news-story/1dea8b68b23fcbdc5134e4725a607bd5 \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Perrin \|first1=Isabella \|title=Bracknell parents warned over viral distressing TikTok video \|url=https://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/18708768.bracknell-parents-warned-viral-distressing-tiktok-video/ \|website=www.bracknellnews.co.uk \|date=September 10, 2020 \|publisher=Bracknell News \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=September 10, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910125624/https://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/18708768.bracknell-parents-warned-viral-distressing-tiktok-video/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> ''Institute of Mums'' circulated further warnings for parents about seemingly benign video content hiding the McNutt video, stating, "Alarmingly, there are also reports of the video being sandwiched in the middle of cute and [[Cats and the Internet\|funny cat videos]], which begin with viewer-friendly footage before quickly changing to the disturbing suicide."<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Staff Writer \|first1=Iom \|title=Parents urged to restrict TikTok as video of man shooting himself trends \|url=https://instituteofmums.com/2020/09/07/parents-urged-to-restrict-tiktok-as-video-of-man-shooting-himself-trends/ \|website=instituteofmums.com \|date=September 7, 2020 \|publisher=Institute of Mums \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=October 1, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001125313/https://instituteofmums.com/2020/09/07/parents-urged-to-restrict-tiktok-as-video-of-man-shooting-himself-trends/ \|url-status=dead }}</ref> ~~Then~~ [[Prime Minister of Australia\|Australian Prime Minister]] [[Scott Morrison]] called the video something that "no child should be exposed to", while [[Computer security\|cybersecurity]] expert Susan McLean publicly recommended that parents prevent minor children from accessing the TikTok app until the video was fully removed.<ref name="Bedo"/> ===Liability=== The case sparked a debate over what [[legal liability]] is owed by Internet platforms that fail to promptly remove graphic and disturbing footage from public view, with the blame generally being placed on Facebook for failing to cut off the livestream during the initial suicide attempt itself. Joshua Steen had called Facebook multiple times, and had called the police, neither of which stopped the stream before McNutt ~~had~~died ~~already committed~~by suicide.<ref>{{cite news \|last1=Wakefield \|first1=Jane \|title=Friend challenges Facebook over Ronnie McNutt suicide video \|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54176205 \|website=www.bbcnews.com \|date=September 19, 2020 \|publisher=BBC News \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=February 13, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213224145/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54176205 \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Feis \|first1=Aaron \|title=Facebook, other sites scrambling to remove video of Ronnie McNutt suicide \|url=https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/facebook-scramble-to-remove-video-of-ronnie-mcnutt-suicide/ \|website=nypost.com \|date=September 8, 2020 \|publisher=New York Post \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=September 10, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910142414/https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/facebook-scramble-to-remove-video-of-ronnie-mcnutt-suicide/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> Steen declared, "if some woman posts a [[Nude photography\|topless photo]], their software will detect ''that'', remove it, and ban their account. That's apparently more offensive than my friend killing himself."<ref name="Dickson" /> It was argued by the two platforms that the "[[dark web]]" was responsible for the ongoing circulation of the video.<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Hern \|first1=Alex \|title='Dark web' responsible for TikTok suicide video, says company \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/sep/22/dark-web-responsible-for-tiktok-suicide-video-says-company \|website=[[The Guardian]] \|date=September 22, 2020 \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=September 22, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922150802/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/sep/22/dark-web-responsible-for-tiktok-suicide-video-says-company \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Lewis \|first1=Sophie \|title=TikTok struggles to stop the spread of viral suicide video \|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-video-suicide-man-shooting-self-struggles-remove/ \|website=www.cbsnews.com \|date=September 9, 2020 \|publisher=CBS News \|access-date=March 25, 2022 \|archive-date=September 9, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909145801/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-video-suicide-man-shooting-self-struggles-remove/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> TikTok released a public statement saying, "Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide. We appreciate our community members who've reported content and warned others against watching, engaging or sharing such videos on any platform, out of respect for the person and their family." Facebook, likewise, publicly stated, "We removed the original video from Facebook last month, on the day it was streamed, and have used automation technology to remove copies and uploads since that time. Our thoughts remain with Ronnie's family and friends during this difficult time."<ref name="BBC News"/> Line 68 ⟶ 69: [[Category:Filmed suicides]] [[Category:Internet-related controversies]] [[Category:Privacy controversies ~~and disputes~~]] [[Category:Suicide and the Internet]]