Social media structure affects how death is presented, but the process is not fully achieved until it incites a reaction in the person who views the contentious form of media. This has been made possible through reaction videos that capitalize on the visceral responses of the viewer. Death conscious on 4chan is able to transform from virtual to real as structures on YouTube make the process of viewing and assimilating with visceral reactions from death drive easy with the click of a button. YouTube has been described by critics as allowing free expression, but this sense of ‘freedom’ is guided by the force of popularity on issues that are trending on other social sites like Facebook and Twitter (Juhasz 146). This includes the circulation of gruesome detail found in mass shootings. …show more content…
As he stares in disbelief, he slowly shakes his head and discusses the magnitude of gun-control from both sides citing how guns are the “worst inventions of all time” (Magnus). By viewing Magnus’s visceral response and his commentary about the shooting, the embodiment of death conscious is replicated in the user. In addition, the title of this reaction was “Fatal Oregon high school shooting REACTION!!!,” creating a problematization of how online videos detailing reactions to violent content are aggressively promoted to subscribers (Magnus). As the number of subscribers increase, so does pressure on YouTubers to make videos that exploit the explicit nature of events. Through the monetizing system of YouTube, four components are considered most important in creating revenue: the viewer, creators, advertisers, and YouTube itself (“Earn money with YouTube.”). The profit base of YouTube utilizes death drive and