Volunteers in Philadelphia’s Kensington say YouTubers and TikTokers are increasingly exploiting drug users as “trauma porn stars.”

  • athos77@kbin.socialOP
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    1 year ago

    From the article:

    The Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia is one of the most brutally obvious signs of America’s public health crisis. The so-called “open air drug market” in the middle of the country’s sixth most populous city is where hundreds of people use drugs, some of whom are unhoused, usually without being arrested by the police. It is a failure of our health care system, our cities, and our drug enforcement policies on public display.

    For some, it’s also a content farm, where they turn other people’s misery into engagement and profit.

    As I am writing this, 675 people are watching a YouTube livestream from a channel called USALIVESTREAM of a camera that is panning back and forth over the corner of Kensington Avenue and East Allegheny, where there’s a SEPTA train station that people congregate around. As is normal on YouTube, to the right of the video is a chat where viewers can talk to each other, and pay to post stickers and “super chats,” highlighted messages that cost as much as $500. The revenue generated from this chat is split between YouTube and the YouTube channel owner. YouTube and the channel owner also make money via pre-roll ads viewers have to watch before the video starts. It is a live version of a growing trend, mostly on YouTube and TikTok, where people make videos of people in distress, specifically in Kensington.

    The dire situation at Kensington is such that the live feed is always capturing multiple people who are clearly in distress, slumped over while they’re standing, asleep in camping chairs, or using drugs. None appear to be aware they are being filmed and exploited as a form of entertainment.

    [Article continues, see link above]

  • Shelena@feddit.nl
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    1 year ago

    Really disgusting behaviour of the people making these videos and of YouTube. I wonder how they can sleep at night.

  • retrieval4558
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    1 year ago

    Videos like that are disgusting. They always use the same dehumanizing language, calling people “zombies”. No empathy at all for people obviously in crisis.

      • retrieval4558
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        1 year ago

        Well that’s because you’re a myopic dickhead with no empathy

        • sock@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          thanks for having some sympathy for people that may not have even chosen to be there.

          society is so shitty in how it views people that are clearly struggling with no lifelines.

          decriminalize all drugs.

          • cheese_greater@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            How does this square with your previous comment on naltrexone? Is this Mr. Dr. Jekyll I got on the line now?

    • sock@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      theyre using them to generate a stigma and further alienate addicts.

      addicts dont wanna be felt sorry for they want help. awareness has never done anything for anyone especially addicts. people see them as scum and have no desire to actually change policy.

      • PlasterAnalyst@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        I mean, yeah, I can’t really feel sorry for a drug addict. They did it to themselves. I’m out here raw dogging it sober every day.