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The Jean Pormanove Case: When Social Networks Reveal Their Dark Side
- Hato Communication
- Aug 21
- 4 min read
On the night of August 17–18, 2025, the French streaming world was shaken: Jean Pormanove, known as JP (Raphaël Graven), died in his sleep during a livestream that had lasted nearly 12 days on the platform Kick. This tragedy goes far beyond the realm of entertainment. It highlights the dangerous excesses of the digital age—violence, deprivation, and humiliation broadcast live. Above all, it raises an urgent question: the toxicity of social networks and the lack of regulation in an economy built on extreme audience engagement.
Who Was Jean Pormanove?
Identity: Raphaël Graven, born January 26, 1979, in Woippy (Moselle, France), former French soldier.
Online beginnings: Started in March 2020, posting humorous and gaming content, and first gained attention alongside French streamer TheKairi78.
Move to Kick (2023): Left Twitch for Kick, a platform with looser moderation and more attractive revenue-sharing. He stopped gaming streams in favor of IRL (in real life) content. By August 2024, he had become the most-watched French streamer on Kick and ranked 4th worldwide.
🗓 Timeline of events
🔹December 2024
Mediapart publishes an investigation denouncing humiliations and abuse carried out live on his streams, describing a “business of abuse” that included slaps, water-throwing, sleep deprivation, and other violence.
A judicial investigation is opened for assault on a vulnerable person and broadcast of violent content.
🔹 Early 2025
Despite criticism and the ongoing investigation, Pormanove continues his extreme livestreams with his two associates, Naruto and Safine, who actively participated in the staged humiliations.
The streams generate tens of thousands of euros in donations.
🔹 Night of August 17–18, 2025
Pormanove is in the middle of a 289-hour livestream marathon (over 12 days) on Kick. During this time, he endured physical abuse: beatings, humiliations, deprivation, and other acts of violence broadcast live.
Viewers saw him asleep or unconscious while one participant tried to wake him by throwing water on him.
The streamer dies during the broadcast, in his sleep, at the age of 46.
🔹 August 18, 2025
Official announcement of his death.
The Nice prosecutor’s office opens an investigation and orders an autopsy.
🔹 August 20, 2025
Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Clara Chappaz calls it an “absolute horror” and refers the matter to Arcom and the Pharos reporting platform.
Kick suspends accounts linked to Jean Pormanove and announces cooperation with authorities.
The case attracts national and international attention, becoming emblematic of the toxicity of social networks and the lack of platform moderation.
The Dark Side of Social Networks
Toxicity Amplified by Virality
One of the most harmful effects of social networks is how shocking content spreads through massive reach. Harassment, fake news, and toxic “buzz” have become routine, fueled by a system designed for maximum engagement. Spectacular livestreams—like Pormanove’s—can become public tragedies in real time.
Algorithms Driving Harmful Content
Platforms are built to amplify what shocks, divides, or outrages. Algorithms prioritize indignation over nuance or collective well-being, creating fertile ground for violent or abusive content—purely for the sake of audience growth.
The Question of Moderation
A Tragic Example of Failure
Jean Pormanove was repeatedly subjected to on-camera abuse—sleep deprivation, physical humiliation, forced ingestion of substances, strangulation—all staged for the audience. Despite numerous warnings, Kick failed to intervene. A judicial investigation has been ongoing since December 2024, after Mediapart revealed a true “business of abuse” on the platform.
Over-Moderation of Harmless Content
On the other hand, some creators face unjustified takedowns of harmless content due to overzealous automated filters. This stifles creativity and freedom of expression. The French channel Mamytwink, known for historical storytelling, has been wrongly flagged in the past—showing how flawed moderation can work in both directions.
Young People: The First Victims
A Generation Overexposed
Children as young as 10–12 have access to social networks, often without guidance or supervision. Violent or shocking content reaches them easily, magnified by the absence of effective regulation.
A Political Context Already on Edge
The death of JP occurred while the French National Assembly was already debating whether to ban TikTok for minors. A parliamentary commission had been launched to study the impact of social networks on young people’s mental health. This tragedy gives new urgency to the debate: protecting youth online is no longer optional—it is a necessity.
Conclusion – A Call for Collective Responsibility
The Jean Pormanove case leaves a bitter aftertaste. Behind the tragedy was a 46-year-old man, subjected to abuse turned into spectacle for profit. His channel generated thousands, even tens of thousands of euros in viewer donations—more a business of abuse than genuine entertainment.
Justice will now have to examine the role of his two associates, accused of humiliating and assaulting him live before thousands of viewers. But beyond individual accountability, the real issue lies in the system itself: one that rewards excess and suffering at the expense of human dignity.
No number of likes, views, or donations can ever justify the loss of a life.