Abraham Biggs Jr. gained notoriety by regrettable means. He was one of a few people to broadcast their final moments (usually through suicide) live on the internet. Biggs, who was 19, used Justin.tv to broadcast from his father’s bedroom in Hollywood, Fla. on Wednesday. He talked about suicide, took a fistful of pills and lay down on his bed to die. Of those who were watching some doubted what they saw was real, while others encouraged him. On a personal note, the thought of the latter group’s behaviour provokes a rather vile sensation in the pit of this author’s stomach.

Police found him dead some four hours after the broadcast had started, and 12 hours after he’d announced his suicide on a bodybuilding web forum.

Keith Whitworth, professor of sociology at Texas Christian University, said that Biggs’ gesture is similar to Japan suicide pacts and US murder-suicide shootings in that they are intended to garner fame. "It ends with a suicide, but knowing that afterward it will be widely disseminated," he said.

Abraham Biggs Sr., the youth’s father says that the viewers and website operators who did nothing to stop his son’s death share some of the blame. "I think they are all equally wrong," he said. "As a human being, you don't watch someone in trouble and sit back and just watch."

In fact some viewers did contact the website to notify the police, but it was too late by then.

Whitworth explains the general indifference of the viewers may have been encouraged by internet anonymity. "Those individuals who were egging Mr. Biggs on in essence were able to depersonalize," he said. "They would not do it face to face, but in the computer medium they were able to absolve themselves of any personal responsibility for their actions."

More still did not believe it was real, says Whitworth. "Technology blurs the lines between reality and that which is not real."

The sociologist says that this does not absolve the viewers, but that it also means they cannot be held accountable. All this is of little comfort to Abraham’s family, as perhaps a little more compassion could have prevented this… if say someone decided to talk to the troubled teen instead of laugh at him.