Analysis of media and audiences in social media facing information about suicide

Abstract

Suicide had traditionally been silenced in the media until the beginning of the 21st century, when the World Health
Organization (WHO) changed its recommendation not to report on it in order to disseminate this serious social problem
and contribute to its prevention. Work has been done to define how and with what limits the media should report, but
there are no codes dealing with social networks, which require specific treatment given their great capacity for influence.
This research analyses the information on suicide published on social networks by the Spanish media with the greatest
interaction on Twitter and the feedback from audiences, during the first six months of 2022, applying the different ethical
codes and consulting the seven state organizations specialized in suicide. This work aims to examine the connection and
interaction between the selected media and their audience in social networks, participation, the type of content created by
the media and the exchange produced with their audiences. In the results, it is observed that the interaction of the audience
regarding the different approaches of the media on Twitter on suicide is associated with the idea of sharing, commenting or
bookmarking those messages related to prevention.