First off, my condolences to the family and friends to the 19-year old who took his own life on Justin.tv.

Second, my little brother is that age, so this really could happen to anyone.

Third, in no way am I insinuating that the victim was crazy or unstable.

However, I do think it’s important to highlight a few things here:

“What ever happened to crazy” is a quote by Chris Rock, when he was talking about the Trench Coat Mafia and how the mainstream media was obsessed with over-analyzing what music they listened to as an excuse - or explanation - to justify their heinous acts.

In this vein, Justin.tv, social media and the Web are somewhat irrelevant in this sad tale.  This is, to quote President-elect Barack Obama, a case of friends and families knowing when to step in and talk to their siblings, sons, friends etc., to prevent these things from happening.

Now, since this blog covers business and the Web and not psychology and social issues, I would add, that this episode will however, stick a fork in the “social media as an advertising platform” argument.  You cannot anticipate what will happen on these sites… and this is just not something anyone will be comfortable with.

But, more importantly, it’s time for me to give my little brother a call and see how things are going.  You should too.

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