The viewers are also ethically responsible (at least in part) for the online content they engage with, but that platform policies and broader legal frameworks also play a critical role. Porshe Girl head photos are still available on the internet. The morbid meme “ Porsche Girl,” inspired by pictures of a teenage girl taken after a fatal car accident, illustrates the vulnerability of “memeified” subjects and the ethical challenges associated with the online dissemination of sensitive material. Most people wouldn’t think it appropriate to make jokes about such a tragedy in front of others (face-to-face), much less to taunt and bully surviving family members in person. In the Catsouras case, users felt free to remove the image of a fatal accident from its original context and use it for dark entertainment after assuming ownership of the idea of death. The controversy surrounding the Nikki Catsouras photographs relates to the photos that were leaked of Nicole.ĭue to the distress this caused, Catsouras’ family decided to file a lawsuit after pictures of her disfigured body were posted online. Nicole “Nikki” Catsouras, who died at 18, was involved in a high-speed car crash after she lost control of her Father’s Porsche 911 Carrera and hit a toll booth in Lake Forest, California. People are still searching for Porsche Girl head photos after many users created memes from the horrific accident.
