The 2017 Chicago Kidnapping Livestream refers to a harrowing incident where four individuals broadcasted the torture of a victim on Facebook Live. While primarily a major news event that sparked nationwide debates on hate crimes and social media monitoring, it transitioned into the meme sphere as a symbol of the 'dark side' of the internet. It is often cited in discussions regarding viral internet culture, the ethics of live broadcasting, and the speed at which tragic real-world events are memorialized or reacted to online. Users often use the imagery to represent shock, the dangers of live streaming, or as a grim reference to the mid-2010s era of internet content.