#selfharn on Instagram: understanding online communities surrounding non-suicidal self-injury through conversations and common properties among authors

Motivations and perceived harms and benefits of online communication about self-harm: An interview study with young people

Background

Self-harm behaviour is prevalent among young people and online communication about self-harm is frequent. These online communications are associated with potential harms and potential benefits. To date, few studies have explored the motivations and mechanisms involved in youth online communication about self-harm.

Objective

This study aimed to explore why young people communicate online about self-harm and the perceived benefits and harms of these communications.

Methods

Twenty young people aged between 18 and 25 years completed an online interview. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes.

Results

Four main themes are reported: (1) crossing from offline to online-the double-edged affordances of social media: young people engaged in online communication about self-harm because they were unable or unwilling to speak about their experiences in offline contexts. Online spaces afforded anonymity and peer support, which were associated with benefits and harms; (2) user-generated is not quite the same as user-resonated: perceptions were influenced by whether the young person created or viewed or responded to the content. Written and visual content had pros and cons; (3) it's not just you, it's mostly me-individual characteristics influence perceptions: age and mental state influenced perceptions and behavior; and (4) beyond individuals-parameters are protective: leadership and platform policies and procedures aided safety.

Conclusions

Online communication about self-harm is neither entirely helpful nor harmful. Perceptions are influenced by individual, social, and systematic factors. Evidence-based guidelines are needed to increase young people's online self-harm literacy and help them build effective communication skills to buffer psychological and potentially physical harm.

Impact of Web-Based Sharing and Viewing of Self-Harm-Related Videos and Photographs on Young People: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Given recent moves to remove or blur self-harm imagery or content on the web, it is important to understand the impact of posting, viewing, and reposting self-harm images on young people.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to systematically review research related to the emotional and behavioral impact on children and young people who view or share web-based self-harm-related videos or images.

METHODS

We searched databases (including Embase, PsychINFO, and MEDLINE) from January 1991 to February 2019. Search terms were categorized into internet use, images nonspecific and specific to the internet, and self-harm and suicide. Stepwise screening against specified criteria and data extraction were completed by two independent reviewers. Eligible articles were quality assessed, and a narrative synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 19 independent studies (20 articles) were included. Of these, 4 studies focused on images, 10 (11 articles) on videos, and 5 on both. There were 4 quantitative, 9 qualitative, and 7 mixed methods articles. In total, 11 articles were rated as high quality. There has been an increase in graphic self-harm imagery over time. Potentially harmful content congregated on platforms with little moderation, anonymity, and easy search functions for images. A range of reactions and intentions were reported in relation to posting or viewing images of self-harm: from empathy, a sense of solidarity, and the use of images to give or receive help to potentially harmful ones suggesting new methods, normalization, and exacerbation of self-harm. Viewing images as an alternative to self-harm or a creative outlet were regarded in 2 studies as positive impacts. Reactions of anger, hostility, and ambivalence have been reported. There was some evidence of the role of imitation and reinforcement, driven partly by the number of comments and wound severity, but this was not supported by time series analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the results of this review support concern related to safety and exacerbation of self-harm through viewing images of self-harm, there may be potential for positive impacts in some of those exposed. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness and potential harms of current posting restrictions, incorporate user perspectives, and develop recovery-oriented content. Clinicians assessing distressed young people should ask about internet use, including access to self-harm images, as part of their assessment.

#Antivaccination on Instagram: A Computational Analysis of Hashtag Activism through Photos and Public Responses

A dramatic increase has been registered in the number of social media posts in photo form as well as in hashtag activism. Hashtags, which manifest thoughts and feelings clearly and concisely, originated on Twitter, where the length of a post is limited; their use, however, has expanded into other social media services, including Instagram. Hashtags, which make it easy to find and express support for posts of interest, have been widely used for online activism, although they have been criticized for fostering confirmation bias. Moreover, hashtag activism in photo form has been relatively understudied. This research analyzed Instagram photos with antivaccination hashtags as an example of hashtag activism through photos. In addition, we examined how the photo features were related to public response, which was manifested via engagement and comment sentiment. The results suggest that the photos which were categorized into “text” took the largest share. It was also found that the major way of claiming was to imprint key messages that persuade people not to vaccinate with remarks from professionals on photos and provide a source of supporting information in the post text with hashtags of antivaccine intention. Various photo features showed associations with engagement and comment sentiment, but the directions of correlation were usually the opposite: these results suggest that engagement and comment sentiment are separate domains that reveal different public responses.