Suicide-based content on social media: A brief literature review

Key digested message The internet affords individuals the opportunity to engage in conversation with others from vastly different and distant cultures via countless social media sites. While this serves as one of the major positives of the internet, it can also facilitate discussions and behaviours that are harmful. Specifically, there exist corners of the social media site Instagram where harmful suicide-based content is posted, featuring images pertaining to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) that receive substantial traction in the form of likes and comments. Additionally, social media sites have also been a host to suicide ‘challenges’ where victims are instructed to harm themselves in specific ways before ultimately taking their own lives. Researchers have found that content supportive of the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ (BWC), the most prominent example of an online suicide challenge, has spread to a substantial number of countries. While research has suggested that there is a vast amount of harmful suicide-based content hosted on social media sites, there is contrasting evidence that highlights the positive resources on various social media sites, such as support forums for those struggling with suicidal ideations. The role that social media plays in suicide-based content is not black-and-white and should be expanded upon through future research.