Graphic videos of Charlie Kirk's killing reach the feeds of unwitting social media users with auto-play

"On the afternoon of September 10, shortly after right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in front of a crowd at Utah Valley University, videos of the Turning Point USA cofounder getting shot in the neck flooded social media. As the news traveled fast, so did the videos. Unfortunately, users who did not wish to see the graphic content often unwittingly saw it anyway."

"The viral videos, which show the moment of the attack from various angles, as well as blood gushing from Kirk following the bullet's impact, have found their way onto the feeds of many users-who are now reporting emotional distress. "Do not watch the Charlie Kirk upclose video. It auto-played on my timeline and I am unwell. Omg. I implore you-do not watch," one user shared on Threads."

Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in front of a crowd at Utah Valley University. Videos showing the shooting and blood spread rapidly across social media platforms. Many users encountered the graphic footage unexpectedly because videos often auto-play in feeds. Several users reported emotional distress after seeing the footage and urged others not to watch. Some Reddit threads where users described regret were deleted. Platforms sometimes place content warnings when the videos are clicked, but the videos can still appear and auto-play in feeds. Meta's Threads currently offers no option to disable auto-play, increasing user concern.

Read at Fast Company