Jean Pormanove and the problem with livestreaming abuse.

a livestream that went too far.

Raphaël Graven, better known as Jean Pormanove, is the latest victim to livestreaming abuse. Graven was a 46-year-old French streamer who passed away on August 18, 2025, during a nearly 12-day livestream. He was one of France’s most prominent creators on Kick, a platform that has marketed itself as a looser alternative to Twitch.

By the end of the stream, viewers noticed Graven had stopped moving. Some even used donations to try to alert others that something was wrong. Police later confirmed he had died in his sleep. An autopsy was ordered, equipment and video files were seized, and those present were questioned.

When I first read this story, I couldn’t stop thinking about the pain Graven must have gone through and how it would be constantly used as entertainment for viewers.

the warnings were already there.

Concerns about these livestreams started months before his death. French outlet Mediapart reported in late 2024 on organized abuse packaged as content, prompting prosecutors in Nice to open a probe into deliberate violence against vulnerable people. Graven himself had been questioned earlier in 2025, but denied being a victim as he said the humiliations were “staged” to create buzz and make money.

Globally, experts have already warned about the dangers of these types of livestreams. In 2023, the Anti-Defamation League noted how livestreams had been used to broadcast murders in New Zealand, document the January 6 insurrection, and spread self-harm. They cautioned that without safeguards, livestreaming can be turned into a weapon.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office added in 2024 that online platforms define harmful content inconsistently, leaving gaps that allow abusive or extremist material to circulate. They connected online hate and violence directly to real-world tragedies like mass shootings in Charleston, El Paso, and Colorado Springs.

The idea that live-streaming can be weaponized isn’t new, but it’s another scenario in which nobody listened until it was too late. So now this man is another victim of ongoing issues that should have already been taken seriously. We need to ensure the same mistakes aren’t repeated.

the cost of turning away.

Kick has thrived on minimal moderation and quick monetization. Only after Graven’s death did the platform ban accounts and promise an “urgent review.” But before action was taken, viewers continued to watch the abuse and encourage it with their donations, with over €36,000 made.

During the marathon stream, Graven endured relentless assaults: he was slapped, punched, strangled, doused with paint, and even shot with a paintball gun. He was mocked, humiliated, sleep-deprived, and pushed to the point of collapse. His vulnerability was packaged into content, and audiences paid to keep the spectacle alive. The line between entertainment and cruelty blurred, with suffering turned into a show. Authorities in Nice had already been investigating violent livestreams since 2024, but content kept circulating while platforms profited.

Kick has built a reputation on being the “Wild West” of streaming, where people can say and do nearly whatever they want. Streamers like Adin Ross have displayed adult content in the past, and gambling is still promoted to their audience of minors. But like Graven’s passing, these are not just about one platform’s failures. They reflect a more profound shift in how we consume entertainment.

turning cruelty into entertainment.

What began as a way to connect or share moments has in some corners turned into a contest of humiliation and extremes, with audiences paying to keep the show going. Graven’s suffering was turned into consumable content, his life reduced to a form of shock-value programming.

The further social media integrates with society, the more cruelty blends with entertainment. People will constantly laugh at pain, and shocking behavior continues to be rewarded in algorithms. It’s genuinely disgusting how quickly people forget that those on screen are real human beings. Even viewers will realize the truth of situations before creators who are taking advantage of the system to gain.

what needs to change.

What happened to Graven shouldn’t be treated as just another shocking headline. It should force us to examine how platforms, governments, and audiences all influence what is allowed to continue online.

Platforms need to implement fundamental safeguards, whether that be delays to catch harmful content, stronger moderation, or limits on monetization. Governments should also hold them accountable to close the gaps in oversight. Audiences should recognize that every donation and view is a choice: either to normalize cruelty or to push back against it.

We’re faced with the kind of culture that’s being built, and what we want for the future. Is it one that rewards empathy, or one that rewards spectacle at any cost? If empathy truly matters, we have to start remembering that behind each stream is a person, not just a form of content.

references.

Anti-Defamation League. (2023). Livestreaming Violence: What Platforms Should Do. https://www.adl.org/resources/article/livestreaming-violence-what-platforms-should-do

CNN. (2025, August 20). French streamer dies after 12-day livestream amid online abuse. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/20/europe/french-streamer-dies-live-online-abuse-latam-intl

Mediapart. (2024). Report on organized abuse in livestreams. https://www.mediapart.fr/

U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2024, September 24). Social Media: Current Measures and Gaps in Oversight. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106211