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calmyourtities
7y

!dev, more about social media
(and suicide)

ugh. social media.

recently a girl from a nearby high school committed suicide. it's sad, and i know what i'm about to say is going to be controversial, but i think it shouldn't be on social media. maybe her close friends posting it on instagram, to remember her, but that's it.

of course, that's not what happened. people started posting "❤️" on their snapchat stories, and theyre saying they are raising awareness. (they don't know this girl or why she did it or anything, they're just doing it because their friends did it.)

this awareness, is well, temporary.

the point of snapchat is that all the pictures go away, so why would they talk about suicide prevention on there? do they want suicide prevention to go away? this is most prevelent on snapchat, but on others, too.

trend after trend after trend.

thats what people turned her death into. a trend.

just like #prayforparis, and others, but on a local scale.

the problem with social media is that things go away. in a day or two it'll be like this never happened. she won't be remembered like she would if she weren't on social media.

i know what you're thinking. they're just "raising awareness." but for how long?

well, until another trend comes.

people disagreeing with me are extremely welcome to comment.

and any ideas on how this problem can be fixed?

rant

suicide

problem solving

social media
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Comments
  • 10
    7y
    This is a legit problem that has been tried to be addressed many times in all over the world mate and It does affect me personally to fear how I could tackle such thing in the future with my own site assuming it does take off and get more users that I currently have, in short this topic hits quite close home mate
  • 10
    7y
    Well said. 👍🏼

    Hot on the heels of that fb is using “ai” to detect potential suicides
  • 6
    7y
    @legionfrontier I strongly encourage you to make an attempt to tackle it.

    @LogicBomb if they do get it working, I really hope they'll make it open source. but I think facebook doesn't care whatsoever about kids killing themselves, but if parents believe that this technology works then they'll encourage them to get facebook over other apps. after all, facebook is losing touch with younger kids.
  • 2
    7y
    Well I am not sure but this is just society now... Nothing really matters, news is fake, one minute it's focused one one thing, next it's focused on another....

    My awareness/etc will be raised naturally when I actually give a fck about whatever it is I'm supposed to be aware about...
  • 10
    7y
    This somewhat applys here.
  • 10
    7y
    FB, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat (never use the last one) are all trend factory. Huge trend factory to be precise.

    How to fix it? No idea. It is almost impossible to persuade those factories to not encourage such trend. Nope will not work. They want any trend as long as it is a trend. Then to stop average user to follow such trend? Nope again.

    The only way I can think of is an established legit organization and community to lead that trend and guide all those average users.

    So let's say if there is a well established suicide prevent organization, such organization should collaborate with those trend factories. Collaborate with facebook. Tell facebook to inform them any potential suicide victims or inform them about those trendy heart posts. Then that organization can involve and use all those content in proper ways.

    That's all I can think of.
  • 2
    7y
    @CurseMeSlowly trends aren't inherently bad, the problem is how integrated trends are with our lives. if trends/social media were separated from our lives in a different manner, then when people hear of a suicide their first thought won't be to post about it.
  • 4
    7y
    @calmyourtities it is worse here. The content you mentioned are very mild. Here anyone (not even journalist) post photos of accidents, dead bodies, injuried bodies widely on social media. Not just a trend, it is almost became an online culture. Fucking depressing.
  • 5
    7y
    I suggest you read Malcolm gladwell's tipping point it's a book on trends and how people go with the flow. It offers an analytical perspective on trends and is an interesting read
  • 2
    7y
    Maybe it isn't all that bad.
    I know that I wouldn't deal with a suicide like them. But I'm 24 now and to be honest I don't have a Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram account. Just Facebook and I mostly use that to follow artists I like.

    Maybe they didn't choose the right platform but isn't it a good thing that they are raising awarness? Even if their posts won't last, maybe some memories about these posts will.

    I think it is hard to judge their intentions from your description. And yes maybe some people do it just because it is a trend. But maybe it isn't a bad thing that it is a trend?
    I mean if the whole society of local young people decided that suicide prevention is a thing that they want to focus their attention on for a while... That doesn't sound like a bad thing to me.

    Please feel free to argue me on this.
  • 7
    7y
    I think the problem with social media "awareness" is that it feels like you're doing something, when you aren't.

    After a suicide, maybe a whole highschool and everyone connected to it will change their profile picture, share an nice image, and feel like they're solving a problem.

    But how will they act the next time they see someone being bullied or excluded? Will they reach out to a student who hasn't shown up for classes, even if they're not close friends?

    A like and share shouldn't absolve you, but for most people it feels like an easy and satisfying alternative to deeper discussion and change of behavior. If an awareness campaign dampens real action, it's harmful.
  • 2
    7y
    I agree completely, and I think the people who capitalize on this by asking you to 'share' their crappy cum smeared post on Facebook. They don't give a shit about that girl or the shit she had to go through, but rather the attention they can get out of such a parasitic meaningless use of time.
  • 2
    7y
    I think everyone is pretty aware that people kill themselves.

    Spreading awareness is just one of those things like giving to charity or protesting; People don't actually know much about the subject they just do it to feel better about themselves.
  • 3
    7y
    Social media actually causes depression
  • 1
    7y
    @Terrestrial no, I'm trying to say there is no 'right' platform to talk about suicide. and the sentence you wrote starting with "I mean if the whole society…" is exactly the problem.

    1. the "young people" don't think it's a thing, they just do it because their friends do it.

    2. "focus" is a strong word, after all, social media is meant to be distracting

    3. a “while.” you just said that it’s a trend. trends don’t last for a while, they last for a very short time, hence the name “trend.”

    @bittersweet yup, it's as if they think it requires effort to write a social media post.

    @speedForce it depends on its use an who you use it with. not much is known about this girl.
  • 1
    7y
    @calmyourtities

    devRant is also social media...

    But I think the difference is in the honesty and depth of conversation.

    I'd probably spend more time on Facebook if people shared more real thoughts and feelings, and were met with civilized, supportive and constructive comments.
  • 1
    7y
    @speedForce

    This was actually proven.

    The only way social media can fight depression or make someone happy is when you go on there in search of a piticular topic, and you get a rush of acpompishment from finding it. (I'll link my source If I can find it again...) But most people scroll aimlessly through their feed hoping to find "something" interesting, and this is usually met with failure.
  • 1
    7y
    I heard a psychologist speak on the radio once he basically said that if someone gets like on their post the brain gets a rush of endorphins which makes the users happy that is the logic behind social media addiction and everyone using the social media is tries their best to put a rose colored portal of their life.
    So half the people who said "rest in peace" and crap like that are actually doing it to look good in reality do not give a fuck they are probably watching funny cat videos while they post that stuff. This is the real tragedy of social media
  • 0
    7y
    well snapchat is a very "oh thats sad - lets move on, look at this puppy!" kind of platform. but you are right, people are just putting their "love" on their accounts as some sort of obligation.
  • 0
    7y
    @matsaki95 i was just about to make that correction as well
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