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

 Ángeles Durán-Mañes, CESAG-University of Comillas (Spain)

 Francisco-Javier Paniagua-Rojano, University of Malaga (Spain)

 Francisco Fernández-Beltrán, University Jaume I (Spain)

https://doi.org/10.3916/C77-2023-10

Keywords

Social media, suicide, risks, online audiences, self-regulation, information quality

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.

References

Abrutyn, S., Mueller, A.S., & Osborne, M. (2020). Rekeying cultural scripts for youth suicide: How social networks facilitate suicide diffusion and suicide clusters following exposure to suicide. Society and Mental Health, 10(2), 112-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869319834063

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

APIB (Ed.) (2018). Código ético sobre el tratamiento mediático del suicidio, asociación de periodistas de las Islas Baleares. Asociación de Periodistas de las Islas Baleares. https://bit.ly/2yrSFUg

Link Google Scholar

Baladrón-Pazos, A.J., & Correyero-Ruiz, B. (2019). El futuro de las editoriales universitarias en España. Investigación Bibliotecológica, 33(81), 179-200. https://doi.org/10.22201/iibi.24488321xe.2019.81.58057

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Blanco-Castilla, E., & Cano-Galindo, J. (2019). El acoso escolar y suicidio de menores en la prensa española: Del tabú al boom informativo. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 74, 937-949. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1365

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Carlyle, K.E., Guidry, J.P., Williams, K., Tabaac, A., & Perrin, P.B. (2018). Suicide conversations on Instagram™: contagion or caring? Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 11(1), 12-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2018.1436500

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Castillo-Sánchez, G., Marques, G., Dorronzoro, E., Rivera-Romero, O., Franco-Martín, M., & la-Torre-Díez, D. (2020). Suicide risk assessment using machine learning and social networks: A scoping review. Journal of Medical Systems, 44(12), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-020-01669-5

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Castillo-Zúñiga, I., Luna-Rosas, F., & López-Veyna, J. (2022). Detection of traits in students with suicidal tendencies on Internet applying Web Mining. [Detección de rasgos en estudiantes con tendencia suicida en Internet aplicando Minería Web]. Comunicar, 71, 105-117. https://doi.org/10.3916/C71-2022-08

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Cohen-Almagor, R. (2022). Bullying, cyberbullying, and hate speech. International Journal of Technoethics, 13(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJT.291552

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Correa, T., Hinsley, A.W., & De-Zuniga, H.G. (2010). Who interacts on the Web? The intersection of users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), 247-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.09.003

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Durán, A., & Fernández-Beltrán, F. (2020). Responsabilidad de los medios en la prevención del suicidio. Tratamiento informativo en los medios españoles. Profesional de la Información, 29(2), e290207. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.mar.07

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Fahey, R.A., Matsubayashi, T., & Ueda, M. (2018). Tracking the werther effect on social media: Emotional responses to prominent suicide deaths on twitter and subsequent increases in suicide. Social Science & Medicine, 219, 19-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.004

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Garcés-Prettel, M., Barredo-Ibáñez, D., Arroyave-Cabrera, J., & Santoya-Montes, Y. (2023). Suicide risk and media consumption in the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia. Revista de Comunicación, 22(1), 153-164. https://doi.org/10.26441/RC22.1-2023-2975

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

García-Avilés, J.A., & Arias-Robles, F. (2016). Géneros periodísticos en los formatos visuales de Twitter: Una propuesta de tipología. Textual & Visual Media, 1(9), 101-132. https://bit.ly/3VNmt4U

Link Google Scholar

Generalitat de Catalunya (Ed.) (2016). Recomendaciones a los medios audiovisuales sobre el tratamiento informativo de la muerte por suicidio. Consell de l’Audiovisual de Catalunya. https://bit.ly/41Vyt5G

Link Google Scholar

Grahl, T. (2013). The 6 types of social media. Out:think. https://bit.ly/3Ou2sij

Link Google Scholar

Gruzd, A., Staves, K., & Wilk, A. (2012). Connected scholars: Examining the role of social media in research practices of faculty using the UTAUT model. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(6), 2340-2350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.07.004

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Hawton, K., & Williams, K. (2002). Influences of the media on suicide researchers, policy makers, and media personnel need to collaborate on guidelines. Centre for Suicide Research. https://bit.ly/3nNYV39

Link Google Scholar

Kaplan, A.M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

La-Sala, L., Teh, Z., Lamblin, M., Rajaram, G., Rice, S., Hill, N.T., Thorn, P., Krysinska, K., & Robinson, J. (2021). Can a social media intervention improve online communication about suicide? A feasibility study examining the acceptability and potential impact of the# chatsafe campaign. PLoS One, 16(6), e0253278. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253278

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Landeta-Rodríguez, J. (2002). El método Delphi: Una técnica de previsión del futuro. Ariel. https://bit.ly/3OuzLl3

Link Google Scholar

Lois-Barcia, M., Rodríguez-Arias, I., & Túñez, M. (2018). Pautas de redacción y análisis de contenido en noticias sobre suicidio en la prensa española e internacional: Efecto Werther&Papageno y seguimiento de las recomendaciones de la OMS. ZER, 23(45). https://doi.org/10.1387/zer.20244

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Lopez-Castroman, J., Moulahi, B., Azé, J., Bringay, S., Deninotti, J., Guillaume, S., & Baca-Garcia, E. (2020). Mining social networks to improve suicide prevention: A scoping review. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 98(4), 616-625. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24404

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

López-Martínez, L.F. (2020). Suicidio, adolescencia, redes sociales e Internet. Norte de Salud Mental, 17, 25-36. https://doi.org/10.3916/C71-2022-08

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Ministerio de Sanidad (Ed.) (2020). Recomendaciones para el tratamiento del suicidio en los medios de comunicación. Manual de apoyo para sus profesionales. Gobierno de España. https://bit.ly/42VZkzQ

Link Google Scholar

Monteagudo-Ródenas, J.V. (2022). Prevención del suicidio en adolescentes. Propuestas educativas desde una perspectiva bioética. Pontificia Universitas Comillensis. https://bit.ly/3HSIg5y

Link Google Scholar

Niederkrotenthaler, T., Braun, M., Pirkis, J. et al. (2020). Association between suicide reporting in the media and suicide: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 368, 1-17. https://www.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m575

Link Google Scholar

Olivar-de-Julián, F.J., Díaz-Campo, J., & Segado-Boj, F. (2021). Cumplimiento de las recomendaciones de la OMS en noticias sobre suicidios. Análisis de la prensa digital española (2010-2017). Doxa.Comunicación, 32, 57-74. https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n32a3

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

OMS (Ed.) (2000). Prevención del suicidio: un instrumento para profesionales de los medios de comunicación. World Health Organization. https://bit.ly/3VOnoCk

Link Google Scholar

OMS (Ed.) (2017). Preventing suicide: A resource for media professionals. World Health Organization. https://bit.ly/41hkJSI

Link Google Scholar

Otieno, D.O., & Matoke, V.B. (2014). Social media as tool for conducting academic research. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 4(1), 962-967. https://bit.ly/3OptZRT

Link Google Scholar

Philips, D., Lesnya, K., & Paight, D. (1992). Suicide and media. In R.W. Maros., A.L. Berman., J.T. Maltsberger., & R.I. Yufitl. (Eds), Assessment and prediction of suicide (pp. 499-519). Guilford. https://bit.ly/42UPQoN

Link Google Scholar

Quinatoa-Santo, R.S., & Larzabal-Fernández, A. (2021). Ciberacoso y su relación con la intencionalidad suicida en adolescentes de 12 a 17 años. Pro Sciences, 5(38), 103-112. https://doi.org/10.29018/issn.25881000vol5iss38.2021pp103-112

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Rajesh-Kumar, E., Rama-Rao, K.V., Nayak, S.R., & Chandra, R. (2020). Suicidal ideation prediction in twitter data using machine learning techniques. Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics, 23(1), 117-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720502.2020.1721674

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Reguant-Álvarez, M., & Torrado-Fonseca, M. (2016). Técnica Delphi. REIRE, 9(1), 87-102. https://doi.org/10.1344/reire2016.9.1916

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Ritzer, G., Dean, P., & Jurgenson, N. (2012). The coming of age of the prosumer. American Behavioral Scientist, 56(4), 379-398. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764211429368

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Robinson, J., Hill, N.T., Thorn, P., Battersby, R., Teh, Z., Reavley, N.J., & Skehan, J. (2018). The# chatsafe project. Developing guidelines to help young people communicate safely about suicide on social media: A Delphi study. PLoS One, 13(11), e0206584. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206584

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Rodríguez-Caro, C.J., Acosta-Artiles, F.J., Cejas-Méndez, M.R., Fernández-Garcimartin, H., & González-Martín, J.M. (2021). Noticias sobre suicidio en medios digitales de España: Características y adhesión a las recomendaciones de la OMS. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 95(21), 1-12. https://bit.ly/3ol5QBo

Link Google Scholar

Wake, A., Paton, E., & Pryor, R. (2021). Communicating about suicide during a global pandemic: Impact on journalists and media audiences. Media International Australia, 178(1), 47-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X20956415

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Wasike, B.S. (2013). Framing news in 140 characters: How Social media editors frame the news and interact with audiences via Twitter. Global Media Journal: Canadian Edition, 6(1). https://bit.ly/3IxH8o5

Link Google Scholar

Yildiz, M., Orak, U., Walker, M.H., & Solakoglu, O. (2018). Suicide contagion, gender, and suicide attempts among adolescents. Death Studies, 43(6), 365-371. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1478914

Link DOI | Link Google Scholar

Fundref

The present research is funded by the II Call for Pre-competitive Projects by CESAG-Comillas (2021).

Crossmark

Technical information

Received: 02-02-2023

Revised: 18-03-2023

Accepted: 02-05-2023

OnlineFirst: 30-06-2023

Publication date: 01-10-2023

Article revision time: 44 days | Average time revision issue 77: 32 days

Article acceptance time: 89 days | Average time of acceptance issue 77: 76 days

Preprint editing time: 196 days | Average editing time preprint issue 77: 183 days

Article editing time: 241 days | Average editing time issue 77: 228 days

Metrics

Metrics of this article

Views: 159665

Abstract readings: 157959

PDF downloads: 1706

Full metrics of Comunicar 77

Views: 1056716

Abstract readings: 1025620

PDF downloads: 31096

Cited by