SUICIDE SYNC: Steering Streams Of Stagnant And Sinking Shares

People streaming down their hashtags and status on the internet are on a mission to break the suicide taboo. Under the impression of helping and educating others, preconstructed messages are passed along the digital landscape for a common cause. The advent of National Suicide Prevention Month is creating a society of uniformity among individuals in social media, prompting a platform to question its minimal contribution to the discourse.

The silence on suicide does more killing than protecting. That is why the virtual community has found a way to ignite this conversation by utilizing online platforms to promote suicide prevention. One of the most ubiquitous campaigns on social media is Instagram Stories, where people can share the latest trends and news on various topics ranging from the best movies and clothes to politics and social issues. However, this feature on Instagram could only last for 24 hours and would leave a little to no reaction to anyone who saw it. Still, no more than a single tap on the screen has decreased the suicide mortality rate by this online movement.

If people were asked about the most common causes of death in the country, they would most likely mention diabetes, heart diseases, and pneumonia. And they would be right. But, statistics show that self-harm and suicide peaked amid the pandemic in the Philippines. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) further underscored data in 2021 that an increase of over 57.3 percent from 2019 has been recorded by intentional self-harm in connection with suicidal ideations. Additionally, the Department of Health (DOH) reported over 70 cases of suicide in the Bicol region alone following the start of 2021—all of these while social media transitions to be an accessible platform globally.

Since then, suicidal ideations have always been taken out of context by many. As reports on suicide cases do not diminish by year, causes of suicide have also been discreetly studied. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide has an ingrained link with mental health-related issues often arising from the standpoints of poverty, academics, and being one of the minority and vulnerable groups such as the LGBTQIA+, refugees, immigrants, and indigenous peoples.

People who commit suicide are oftentimes deprived of medical attention, albeit being diagnosed with depression and other mental health-related issues, because of the lack of access to professionals, financial incapabilities, and misunderstanding of the whole situation from families and close friends. This goes to show that the formation of suicidal ideations in at risk people does not happen overnight and thereby probes a reasonable possibility that it will not be easily downsized by fleeting posters on social media.

Some cases may be different from others, as it is true that social media helps to reach a wider audience from a remote place to another. Online platforms do really open an initiative on raising awareness on the importance of changing the narrative on suicide. Yet, as they say, what works for one may not work for the other. Further, as a double-edged sword, social media promotes wider access and, at the same time convenience in information dissemination—a convenience that continues to be overtly celebrated nowadays, overlooking consequences. Because, through online promotion, there is always a perceived positive reception from the majority, thus excluding a holistic platform for genuine scrutiny.

While there is a limitation as to the reach of influence on social media, the spectrum of suicide is broad, thus, could also manifest differently for every individual. Consequently, there is no concrete measure in telling that a person has decided to take his/her life at a moment’s glance. What people can only do is actualize what they advocate for inside the screens of online campaigns.

Although social media paves a connection between various people and promotes inclusive communication, the potential for minimal feedback still exists. Utilizing different online platforms for suicide prevention campaigns may be ineffective if these do not resonate with their target audience. While intentions sit atop actual movements, social media communities are encouraged to be vigilant enough to think through their actions online. If engagement was performed mindlessly, this chain of messages could only create more stagnation than progress in destigmatizing suicide.

In the end, the world is experiencing constant change and restructuring towards a progressive society. Any chances of a foreseeable regressive one at a time when modern technology is supposed to aid in building improved societies should not be further enabled. To this day, thorough exploration of social media’s role in suicide prevention remains significant in unveiling other silent concerns most people are afraid to utter even in whispers.

With this, redirecting streams of stagnant progress and engagement through social media will definitely replenish its roles in combatting suicide in this virtual realm.