following the Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson On Wednesday, the Internet erupted with posts of jokes, memes, and, later, thirst for Shooter of the insurance magnet. The assassination was an event that, for many, may have signaled the beginning of a more critical look at corporations, how the people who lead them treat the public, and how the public reacts to the choices those officials make. .
Or it was a great opportunity to laugh in the face of a bleak political and economic reality. The internet is what the internet does.
Tweets can be deleted
But the online festival has sparked even more debate behind the scenes: in age Free speech contested againWhere does content moderation (and platforms’ anti-violence policies) fit into the class conversation?
Nowhere else is this more documented than on Reddit. According to A 404 Media Report, The platform has removed dozens of posts about the CEO’s death, tracked by a platform subreddit called r/undelete that captures content that reaches the 100 most popular on the site before being deleted. . Many of the posts, found in the publication, have had thousands of likes and more still exist on industry-related subs such as r/nursing and r/medicine. The subreddit’s moderators are struggling to stop the influx of posts, which they say will be removed by Reddit for violating its anti-violence policies, if first the moderators say “no politics” and “no death.” Not removed for rule violation.
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However, there is no concrete agreement on whether such posts should be removed or not. In posts and statements to 404Media, users and moderators alike have argued that discussion of the massacre does not violate Reddit’s content policies because it is a “newsworthy” event covered by reputable outlets.
Meanwhile, sites like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) have struggled to find and remove online backlash. An official UnitedHealthcare Facebook post announcing Thompson’s death was the subject of online fodder after users realized the healthcare giant’s condolence post was being “outsized” by laughing reactions. As of December 5, the post had more than 31,000 “haha” responses compared to just 1,900 “sad” responses. UnitedHealthcare later stopped further comment on his post, as well as similar posts on LinkedIn.
Tweets can be deleted
Tweets can be deleted
Tweets can be deleted
Some have equated the overwhelmingly positive response online to the digital celebration of controversial Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s death in November 2023 — a similarly meme-filled event that spawned its own. Sexually-charged copypasta.
But while thousands of people chatted and posted their United Healthcare memes, others warned online that they might want to cool their party — or at least be prepared to deal with possible repercussions. “Hot tips from a former lawyer” is captioned by the account in TikTok @fivefourpodUsers extend their right to remain silent: “If someone from the government shows up at your door asking about a post on this app or any other app… they’re going to make you feel like you need to explain yourself.” Don’t talk to the official.”
