Who is bianca

In reality, Bianca had only about 2, followers on her main Instagram account before the news of her killing went viral, according to tracking website SocialBlade. But in the week since, that number has increased to more than , The suspect's account also attracted attraction. Despite his profile being edited to reflect his suicidal intentions at some point during the attack, Instagram did not deactivate it until the police confirmed his identity on Monday, more than a day after the murder.

By that time, his following had grown by thousands and his profile was inundated with comments. Some people capitalised on Bianca's murder, which had already played out so publicly, as an opportunity to gain followers. Dozens of users promised the images of her body were hidden within their private pages. Others tried to trick people into seeing cruel memes or even products they were trying to sell. Some even went as far as to change their username, or create brand-new accounts, to mimic the suspect's handle and lure people searching for the photographs.

One person behind one of these accounts, when challenged in a message about their motivations, said they had changed their name out of curiosity but did "feel a little guilty" for the victim and her family. They initially vowed to stop, but about an hour after abandoning the handle, reverted to it. Another person emulating the suspect's username told the BBC they did so "for social media clout", adding: "People will do anything that gains them followers and some popularity. On Tuesday, that user claimed to have amassed more than 1, follower requests and about messages.

They even considered trying to solicit online payments for the images, they said. Instagram told the BBC it was reviewing hashtags and accounts where people were claiming to share the graphic content. At the time of publication, most of these appeared to have been removed. Dr Densley said cases like Bianca's exposed the "weird incentive structures" that exist across the social media we use every day. He said those who viewed the violent images then faced a choice: "Do I report it?

Do I ignore it and pretend I didn't see it? Or do I capture it in my own way, and then share it myself? The proliferation of images from Bianca's murder has renewed scrutiny of the way social media is policed day-to-day, just four months after platforms publicly struggled to contain the spread of graphic video from the Christchurch attacks. Sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook do have human moderators - but also rely on artificial intelligence technology and user reports to support their systems.

The scale of their membership, which in Instagram's case is one billion users a month, makes for an overwhelming challenge. If an image or video is edited or clipped, the "fingerprint" is no longer complete and it can be more difficult to identify. Bianca's case, after that of Christchurch, will do little to alleviate mounting pressure on social platforms from international governments. The UK and Australia have announced new measures where social media companies may face fines, or even criminal charges, if they fail to moderate adequately.

So far this year, Facebook executives have already introduced new restrictions on their live-streaming tool. Instagram also launched new anti-bullying initiatives and a crackdown against self-harm content after the suicide of a British teenager. Social media companies have reiterated their commitment to their community guidelines since Bianca's death. Despite this, some graphic content is still slipping through the net. At the time of publication, the BBC found even the most graphic photographs of Bianca's body - posted up to a week ago - still on Twitter.

That's what our job is. But there was nothing they could do to stop what was going on online. The horrific images of Bianca's murder that Clark had posted continued to spread on the internet, and a vile campaign of hate was brewing on social media. EJ Dickson : Bianca's family members were being targeted as a result of Bianca's death. In the days following Bianca's murder, downtown Utica was lit up in pink in her honor, and a candlelight vigil was held to celebrate her life. Supporters gathered to sing "Puff the Magic Dragon," a song her grandfather Frank sang to Bianca as a child; a tradition she continued with her baby sister Maddie.

Frank Williams : "Puff the Magic Dragon" — that's the special song [emotional]. But as Bianca's family grieved, the images of her dead body had spilled from the fringes of the internet into mainstream social media. Frank Williams : I just can't understand why people would want to see it. This is real.

Frank believes those who shared the photos didn't see Bianca as a loving daughter or a cherished granddaughter. They didn't see her as a person at all. Frank Williams : These pictures aren't fictitious pictures taken from a movie.

They're of a lovely, beautiful girl whose life was taken from her in a cruel way. Jericka Duncan : When you found out that your daughter's images were on Twitter —. Kim Devins : It's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking. It's so exploitive of my daughter. I just thought of how embarrassed she would be, how heartbroken she would be. Kim Devins : They stayed on Instagram and Facebook for at least a couple of weeks.

Every time the photo was removed another one would appear in its place, says reporter EJ Dickson. EJ Dickson : Unfortunately, extremely violent and disturbing images … can circulate wildly on social media, and a lot of social media platforms don't have the infrastructure in place to prevent that from happening. In response, some social media users led a grassroots effort to replace the death photos with messages of hope. EJ Dickson : So, Bianca's supporters tried to combat people trolling the hashtag by posting beautiful images of clouds, bunnies, ribbons — or fan art of Bianca ….

But amid the battle to preserve Bianca's memory, Kim says her family became victims of vicious online trolls who relentlessly sent them the horrific photos. Kim Devins : They were sent to me. They were sent to various family members that were close to Bianca. Olivia has had to take a break from social media … because there's always the risk of having to see her sister's death photo.

Kim Devins : It's horrifying. It's traumatizing to see people saying that your daughter, your, you know, this is my baby, that she deserved such a cruel end to her life. Steven Crimando : They're in direct messaging and text messages to the family. Behavioral scientist Stephen Crimando believes the individuals most likely responsible for the attacks on Bianca's family belong to a community of online men called "incels. Steven Crimando : Incel is short for involuntary celibate.

Incels see themselves as victims, says Crimando, in a never-ending struggle to win the affection of attractive women whom they refer to as "Stacys. Steven Crimando : Incels believe that they don't have any chance with Stacys at all. Though Clark did not identify as an incel, he was celebrated by this dark community for what he did to Bianca. Steven Crimando : The incel feels badly cheated to the point where it becomes just an obsessive thought that … I need to strike back for the unfairness.

In fact, this violent rhetoric has led to murder. In , a year-old self-identified incel went on a deadly rampage in Isla Vista, California, killing six people. Since then, the intelligence community believes there have been more than a dozen mass killings in North America resulting in 50 deaths attributed to incel ideology. Steven Crimando : And as there's been more incel killings, it has become more clear to us that there is, on this spectrum of incels, those at the extreme end who are certainly capable of murder.

And because of that, it's recognized now as a terrorist threat. Elizabeth Bianca's online friend : We all knew that we were in the line of fire. And I was honestly afraid to, like, leave my house. The response to Bianca's murder by the incel community served as a wake-up call for friends like Elizabeth and other young women in their online world who realized they too could be targets.

Elizabeth : You know, those same incel communities that were praising Brandon's actions were saying, oh, I wonder who's going to be next? I can't wait for the next victim or, you know, or the next girl to be killed. As Clark's case headed to trial, emotions ran high for Bianca's family, who feared her murder video would be played in court. Kim Devins : My last memory of Bianca is her full of life, so excited. Kim Devins : He said he wanted to spare us from having to see the details of Bianca's murder.

Kim may have been right to be suspicious. Before sentencing, Clark changed his mind yet again and wanted to go to trial. Bryan Coromato : We know that he's — he's playing a game with everybody. Just five months after pleading guilty to murdering Bianca Devins, Brandon Clark was back in court to try and change his plea back to not guilty.

This request infuriated the Devins family, who had already been through so much. Take your punishment. Give this family some peace. Kim Devins : He found out that there were media and production companies interested in Bianca's story and he wanted to be able to tell his side. He blamed his former attorney Luke Nebush, a well-respected local public defender, for not visiting him enough in prison and pressuring him into pleading guilty. There were moments where I probably spent 2. Maybe an average of 3.

Two years on from Bianca's passing, Devins is determined that Bianca's legacy will continue to inspire people for years to come. She said, "Her light is never going to dim because she left a really good impact on a lot of people.

To read more stories like this, check out Insider's digital culture coverage here. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Charlotte Colombo. Bianca Devins was murdered 2 years ago, and graphic images of her body circulated on social media.

Her mother, Kim Devins, is campaigning to hold social media platforms accountable with Bianca's Law. He told her where he was located: Poe Street, a dead-end road about a mile from where Bianca had gone to high school.

According to police, they arrived a few minutes later to find Clark lying on top of a green tarp, a small fire raging a few feet away, where he had destroyed his laptop and hard drive. Clark then proceeded to cut his throat before taking a selfie, which he added to his Instagram story. It was at that point that an officer observed dark hair peeking out from beneath the tarp.

Clark survived his self-inflicted injuries. The next day, when doctors deemed him well enough to undergo questioning, Paladino visited him. Social media only added to the horror. Rumors spread that Bianca was asexual possible , that she had a mental illness true , and that she was addicted to hard drugs false, according to her family and friends.

Some used her killing as an opportunity to decry toxic masculinity and the misogyny of 4chan culture. Another person AirDropped it to Rimmer while she was shopping for groceries. Sometimes he starts daydreaming and catches it being the last thing that pops into his head. In February, Brandon Clark is set to face trial on second-degree murder charges. He has pleaded not guilty. His public defender, Luke Nebush, who declined to comment on the trial to Rolling Stone , could stage a defense of extreme emotional disturbance, Coromato speculates, predicated on the theory that Clark was driven mad by seeing Bianca kiss someone else.

Police recovered knives, rope, and multiple other tools at the scene of her murder. Kim hopes to catch his eye in court and force him to acknowledge the lives he ruined.

At the time, Gianna says, Bianca hated being in front of the camera; for the most part, she was the one who filmed the other two. She heads straight toward an icy embankment and tumbles forward, shrieking with glee, her smile light-years long.

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