On April 3, there was a shooting at the headquarters of media platform YouTube in San Bruno, California.

The suspect of the shooting was a woman named Nasim Aghdam, who produced content on Youtube. There was speculation from Aghdam’s family and the police involved in the day leading up to the incident.

The suspect in question made content relating to health. YouTube’s algorithm has been demonetizing (meaning the creator makes no money off of videos) smaller channels. This revenue provides income for creators.

Aghdam frequently criticized the way YouTube was running. She also complained about the lack of freedom of speech and expression. Multiple sources stated she had felt discriminated against due to her content. She had been angered by the age restrictions on her workout videos.

This incident, along with the countless other shootings that have occurred this year, pose many questions on how society responds to negative emotions and conflicts. Influences on society such as the media and people around us can mold how we think and what we believe in.

This incident has people scrambling for an explanation. There have been two predominant factors that the public has turned to, the first being YouTube’s demonetization of videos. Some people have gone as far as saying that they deserved it. The second factor is a matter of gun control. With all of the shootings recently, groups of activists turned the blame to easy access guns.  

Victims of various shootings have participated in movements and protests such as March For Our Lives. Schools around the world held walkouts to show their support for the victims.

Another protest was put in place called the Walk Up Not Out movement. The premise of this movement was to be kind to each other to avoid students feeling isolated and going down the wrong path. This was problematic to some people who claimed it’s ideals were victim-blaming.

In this society, it seems that the initial reaction to a problem has been violence. In light of recent events, teenagers and adults alike have done actions which can be seen as wrong.

This psychological impact doesn’t seem to have a direct cause. It is inferable that violent acts lead to more violent acts. This generation of teens has grown up with shootings being a regular occurence.

Studies have been conducted, which deal with parts of the brain that may be responsible for aggression. The trial was performed on mice, which stimulated part of the brain. This made the mice act violently towards the other mice. Though the experiment was on mice, it could relate to the human brain as well.

One of the most important things to provide people with is education on how to resolve conflicts safely. People that resort to gun violence need to be taught differently.