When you create a platform designed to spread viral videos, don’t be shocked when violent viral videos go viral

What immediately comes to mind is Darth Vader’s famous quote: “Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve constructed”.

The absolutely horrific mass shootings in New Zealand are a first in this new media: horrific events designed from the ground up to go viral.  And the platform delivered.

The perpetrators reportedly used Facebook Live – a streaming platform that’s apparently nearly impossible to stop – and Live-Streamed their indescribably evil act. Then others immediately downloaded the video and republished it.

As of now, of course, the video has been copied and recopied effectively an infinite amount of times.  It will never be stopped. It will go on for an eternity.   There is an army of evil-doers that will work non-stop to keep this video going viral for the foreseeable future.

Artificial intelligence, indeed.  Rather completely artificial, I’d say.

Social Media’s technological terror kicked in all its algorithms and as you read this is doing its best to distribute this video as fast as possible.

No one should be surprised. You may be shocked, dismayed, appalled, but you should not be surprised.

 

Source: New Zealand mass shooting shows tech companies can’t control viral tragedies – CNET