The Star Wars Kid
Topic-
The story of “the star wars kid” started in 2002 when a 15 year old (Ghyslain Raza) set up a camcorder to film himself reenacting the Darth Maul scene from star wars. This recording was done for a class project and was left with the school’s filming equipment. In April of 2003 a classmate, Jerome Laflamme, showed the video to a friend, Jean-Michel Rheault, who imported the video to his computer. This video was emailed to classmates and was eventually posted on a website for the entire world. Shortly after, this video became a sensation all across the world. Several memes were made as well as awful comments about the kid. Ghyslain Raza eventually dropped out of school and was diagnosed with depression. This led to Raza’s parents suing the parents of the kids who posted the video. This cost the family hundreds of thousands of dollars, which they never fully obtained back from the lawsuit. Years later, Raza obtained a law degree and is now an advocate for cyberbullying which affected him for years.
Blog Post
Role Technology Played
Technology played a huge role in this story because it was the main tool that created a breach of Raza’s privacy. Without the technology that people had in 2003, no one across the world would have ever seen this video. In fact this video would never have been made. However since the internet was around, millions and millions of people had easy access to it. The technology also played a role in showing how cruel the kids in his class were. These kids took the time to convert the video onto the computer, send out the video, and post it online. In 2003 converting the video and posting videos weren’t nearly as easy as it is in the modern era. So for kids that age to take all that time just to post a video shows how truly mean they were. Technology also led to Raza’s depression as he began to be cyberbullied. The internet helped blow up this situation and allowed everyone in the world to see him.
Is This Just Life In the Internet Age
I agree that this story is just life in the internet age now. The main reason I believe this, is not only because its worse, but everyone now has access to the internet. Every kid in school has a phone and can take a video like its nobody’s business. There are so many websites and platforms with videos similar to this where everyone just laughs at them. Cyberbullying is so much more common as it takes one wrong saying or video on the internet for everyone to freak out. Logan Paul, a famous Youtuber, is a great example of this. He posted one video of a man who had committed suicide and everyone now hates him. He is also a victim of cyberbullying as he did one wrong thing that the whole entire world can now see. However, even though this is now the life in the internet he did not post this video on his own free will. So I believe that legal actions should have taken place like they did. If Raza had posted this video himself it would be a different story because of the fact that he gave up his privacy. Raza however did not post this video himself and never wanted it posted. This means that his privacy was invaded and it eventually hurt him mentally as well. So to sum this up, I do believe that this is the life in the internet age but under the circumstances it still isn’t okay.
Should We Adopt “The Right To Forget”
The right to forget was a law that was established to erase links including personal information from search engines under certain conditions. These conditions can be personal information, inappropriate images of you, inaccurate information of you, and so on. This law has helped so many people run away from a past that has haunted them forever. An example of this is revenge porn which is when an ex posts and explicit photo of you, after you broke up with them. This law would delete the link to that picture so that it can no longer be accessed. Gaza would have appreciated this law just as anyone else being trolled on the internet. I think this law would not only save a lot of people from embarrassment and anguish, but also be extremely helpful to the society. People change and need an escape goat to hide from the past. This law would do exactly that and help so many people.
Citation-
Hawkes, Rebecca. “Whatever happened to Star Wars Kid? The sad but inspiring story behind one of the first victims of cyberbullying.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 4 May 2016, www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/05/04/whatever-happened-to-star-wars-kid-the-true-story-behind-one-of/.
Wei, Will. “WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The 'Star Wars Kid' Sued The People Who Made Him Famous.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 12 May 2010, www.businessinsider.com/where-are-they-now-the-star-wars-kid-2010-5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPPj6viIBmU (Video that was posted online)
Some form of a "Right to Forget" law should exist, but restrictions must also exist to prevent the abuse of a law like this. In the case of Gaza, victims of revenge porn, and others who have negatively had their privacy violated, a right to forget law grants the ability to escape from stress, embarrassment, and anguish, as you have identified. However, provisions and restrictions must exist, like a limit on the ability to remove incriminating content. I don't think you intended it as such, but a completely unrestricted "right to forget" would allow sex offenders, criminals, etc. to remove parts of their past and conceal their identities in potentially harmful ways.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I take issue with your comparison to Logan Paul. Logan Paul consistently produces content illustrative of his inability to respect others, accept responsibility for his actions, or really comprehend a life outside the lens and the realm of YouTube. His apology for the suicide video reflects his narcissism, and the backlash against his actions has very little in common with the hate Gaza received. As you mentioned, others invaded Gaza's privacy and posted the video without his consent, and in my opinion the bullying and negativity directed toward Gaza were unwarranted. In contrast, Logan Paul took the time to film, edit, publish, and monetize his video with full knowledge of the content. I don't think it's fair to Gaza and other victims of actual cyberbullying to compare their drastically different experiences and often unwarranted hate to the internet's response to the frankly disgusting lack of propriety demonstrated by Logan Paul.
I agree with your point that Raza's circumstance is part of life in the Internet Age, but that we as a society shouldn't accept wrongs done to individuals who don't choose to have information disclosed about them. Part of living in this time is understanding the potential consequences of sharing any information on the internet, and learning how to navigate the many threats to one's privacy. However, if private information is shared without the knowledge or consent of the person it belongs to, then I think the "Right to Forget" should definitely exist to serve as a means of protection against privacy violations like Raza experienced. Along with protecting information that was posted without consent, I think the "Right to Forget" should extend to posts made with knowledge and consent, but only so far as it protects the individual without endangering greater society. In the case of Logan Paul, to me, his offensive actions outweigh the negative impact his post has on his life, especially because he chose to post the video, so he should deal with the consequences of the post. If he had not decided to post the video, but had instead chosen to keep his experience off the internet, then I think the "Right to Forget" may apply to him, but in my opinion he opted out of that right when he made the post. However, I hope that the internet can serve as a platform through which he, and others that make mistakes of a similar magnitude, can learn through.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Raza's circumstance was what started the idea of life in the internet age, but also there are so many differences between the internet now and back in 2003. Firstly, this was one of the original "viral videos" and now since it is so easy to post everyone wants to the next sensation. They will intentionally post videos of them doing dumb or silly things to try to receive internet fame. Additionally, while this experience did leave Raza with depression, I do not believe that the initial posting of the video was necessarily posted with the intent to bully. The kids may have just posted it because they found the video amusing and the internet is the best way to share videos with people. Finally, as Andrew did mention above there was no monetary reason to post this video whereas Youtubers now make money off of their content.
ReplyDeleteThe "Right to Forget" law is a good idea, but they also need to make sure that this law isn' abused. It is helpful for teenagers who are being bullied due to a video that they had no say in posting. However, would it be fair for an ex-convict to use to erase information that is online about themselves because they have changed since when they committed the crime? It is hard to say that you can revoke this right from certain people if it is a privacy right to all people.
You are right that we live in an internet age, and the most dangerous aspect of this age is that it continues to get easier and easier to spread information. In 2003 social networks like Facebook and Youtube were still just starting out, and a video about a kid pretending to be in Star Wars still blew up to insane popularity. Over a decade and a half later people now have phones and cameras in their pockets, and posting to the world is literally a click away. It has become insanely easier to take unflattering photos and post them for the world to see. Cyberbullying is more of a problem now than ever before, so steps must be taken to protect it.
ReplyDeleteWhile education and discipline is a great way to stall cyberbulling, adopting a right to forget would be great at assisting the victims. Someone should be able to decide if information on the web that they don't want the world to know should be erased. As great as this is for victims like Raza, it's effectiveness is not guaranteed. With how fast everything is seen and spread, Raza's video would have probably been taken and re uploaded or remixed numerous times, to the point where getting rid of the video's existence would be basically impossible. On the other end, such a right would be easy to abuse by people who want their criminal activities erased. A right to forget would be difficult to make effective, but I agree that it would be worth it.
The Internet Age obtains interesting new dilemmas. The right to consent over footage of oneself seems to be somewhat out of our personal reach nowadays, with the massive popularization of media — anyone with a device may have the capacity to film or photograph who they want in a public domain. Which calls our attention to what are our personal rights are, over footage taken of ourselves without our personal consent?
ReplyDeleteEssentially I agree with some of your points being raised, as understanding the consequences of anything filmed in the digital age may have potential consequences. But it is also interesting how our ideas pertaining to privacy have evolved. For example draw attention to the differences in distribution of media between 2003 and 2018; while in the early 2000’s I don’t believe there would have been an expectation that this footage of the Star Wars Kid would have, ‘blown up’, now in the latter end of the 2000s we have seen that countless individuals have made an impression on the internet because of that expectation to go viral.
I do believe that there should be adopted some form of “The Right to Forget”, in certain circumstances some of those instances mentioned above such as revenge porn. This implementation of the right to forget may have a positive impact on individuals who have had their privacy violated. But it should also come with restrictions as it may have the capacity to be used negatively.
As for your comparison to Youtuber, Logan Paul I believe it to be a grossly inadequate comparison. I agree with Andrew as he drew to light, much of the culture that Logan Paul has perpetuated is, “illustrative of his inability to respect others, accept responsibility for his actions, or really comprehend a life outside the lens and the realm of YouTube.” While he experienced cyberbullying for his actions, I don’t believe it to be in the same realm as Ghyslain Raza. There were a massive outcry and criticism to Logan Paul actions in publishing his Youtube video that contained sensitive information regarding a suicide, which he used to exploited and promote himself. In contrast, Ghyslain Raza’s video was published without his consent and was ridiculed for reenacting the Darth Maul scene from star wars.
I agree with assertion that we need some form of a "right to be forgotten" law. In the context of "The Star Wars Kid" I am particularly inclined to say these laws should be tailored to the victims of unfortunate and negative circumstance, and to people under the age of eighteen. To say that those have been effected by "revenge porn" or who have been the subject of defamation and of the spread of incorrect information should have a way to reverse those negative experiences is almost common sense. But I do have to agree with previous comments in that this protection can only go so far. People who post videos like Logan Paul do so of their own choosing, and must simply face the consequences of a wrong decision. And an absolute right to be forgotten law may - along side concerns of public safety already raised - contribute to a further deconstruction of free speech rights. It could, perhaps, allow elected officials to remove damaging, but true, information from the internet without warrant or good reason.
ReplyDeleteI do believe we need a "Right to Be Forgotten." But it must be regulated, restricted, and handled with great care.
How is Logan Paul, of all people a victim of cyberbullying. His actions are inconsistent; although he did apologize for the video he posted with the dead body, that does not excuse his actions in Japan. On his trip he harasses local citizens by shoving raw fish in people’s faces and throwing Pokeballs at pedestrians. This blatant disrespect goes completely against what Logan Paul said earlier in that same video blog. “Japan is all about the respect. It’s true so I have to take my chach levels and bring them down.” Logan Paul posted this video himself, after editing and decided that it was appropriate to share with all his viewers. It's obvious that he had no intention of being respectful of the culture, filming himself next to a dead body and getting in trouble for it, he is not a victim of cyberbullying.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Ghyslain Raza, his video is different because it was not his choice to submit it. The video was left on a school camera and was later found and uploaded without his knowledge or permission. By placing the video on the internet for anyone to see without explicit permission, can be seen as a form of early cyber bullying.
I agree with virtually everything in this blog post, except when you state that Logan Paul is a victim. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I think Logan Paul is an ass who is long overdue for a public censure. His pranks and videos range from stupid and dull to downright insulting and nauseatingly insensitive. He made a music video called "No Handlebars" in which he literally rides women like bikes, as if that's a cool thing to do. Before posting the infamous suicide video that basically destroyed his career, he posted a video from Tokyo where he, after stressing the importance of respect, proceeds to completely disrespect Japanese people in any way that he can possibly think of. Then he posted the suicide video, which needs no explanation. He's the epitome of entitlement and I can't figure out how people can actually stand him; he deserves everything that came to him.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I feel pity for him. He's probably just a dumb boy who realized he could make a living by showing his daily life to people addicted to clickbait on YouTube.
However, I think that the video in which Logan Paul stumbles upon a stranger's hanging corpse is similar to Raza's video. Like Raza, the man who hung himself arguably never believed that his body post-suicide would be captured on video for millions of viewers to see. The dead man's family was also probably distressed by the insensitivity caused by the video, drawing parallels to Raza's depression after his video went viral. Both of these cases show the deeply personal, negative ramifications that occur when someone's right to privacy is taken away from them.
Although I do not agree that the backlash against Logan Paul is cyberbullying, since it was brought up in the post I will discuss it further in conjunction with the Right To Be Forgotten Laws. In the blog post it was said that a Right To Be Forgotten law would "erase links" to unwanted content. We can look at the Logan Paul incident, however, as a kind of case study to see why this doesn't necessary work. Although the Logan Paul video was removed from youtube, his reputation remains damaged (and rightfully so). In a similar situation were the content is posted without consent the result would still be similar. In other words, the right to be forgotten doesn't not mean people will forget. Thus, perhaps a Right to be Forgotten Law is not the whole solution. In the case of the Star Wars kid he was able to sue the person who posted the content, but lost money in the legal action.
ReplyDeleteIf the Right to Forget was made into a law, there would have to be certain exceptions to what could be 'forgotten'. In a case where an individuals privacy has been invaded through photos/videos of them posted on the internet, the individual should have a right to remove these depictions of them-self just as Hebrew University of Jerusalem was able to control Albert Einstein's depiction. An individual should not have the right to have information collected about them 'forgotten' when the information is collected by a search engine or social media platform (Google, Facebook, etc.) where such information was collected as part of a contract allowing the user to use the 'free' service in exchange for the information.
ReplyDeleteAs for the case of Logan Paul, I find it very naive to think that Logan Paul has not been the victim of cyber bullying. Any negative or abusive comment aimed at Logan Paul himself rather than criticizing the content of his video's would/should be considered cyber bullying, especially if it continued for an extended period of time. This is a perfect example of 'Life In the Internet Age' as, given the definition of cyber bullying above, I don't believe anyone would suggest that Logan Paul has never been cyber bullied and most would go as far as to say it's what to expect if you're a popular YouTuber.
(Oops, I had my weeks mixed up! I thought this was due on 1/27)
ReplyDeleteFirst, I find the circumstances between Raza and Logan Paul to be considerably different. Raza recorded his video privately for a class project shown to maybe 30-40 of his peers. Logan Paul, on the other hand, has an enormous audience of 16 million subscribers, many of which are young children. And unfortunately, another part of this being the Age of the Internet is the responsibility of content creators to moderate and filter their content. Additionally, while Logan Paul may be experiencing media backlash and criticism from his peers, he has overall beniifted from the sitation in terms of YouTube channel growth and advertisement revenue from his other videos. His average daily subscriber growth has increased by 14 thousand, and his ad-rev is estimated to be between $64k-$1mil for the last 30 days despite the controversial video being unmonetized and removed relatively quickly.
Secondly, another use of the Right to be Forgotten, if implemented on a legal level, would be to aid victims of staking and abuse in purging their online identity. Currently, victims must manually contact each organization (Everything from Gmail and Facebook to online White Pages) via phone or email to remove or hide accounts, as most "Deactivate Account" options still keep a copy of the account either publicly or privately for posterity. A formal legal system that would allow people to purge their online identity may have been very useful to Raza if he wished to ""start over"" and remove all traces of his social media, though that would be up to his discretion.
Oops, forgot the link to the Logan Paul stats
Deletehttp://bit.ly/2lHnCdv