Media and Suicide

The article "Suicide contagion and social media: The dangers of sharing 'Genie, you're free'" by Caitlin Dewey shows us what a truly difficult subject suicide is in the media. How we discuss suicide as a whole and the suicides of individuals (including celebrities) is a very touchy thing and many times it is done in a way that is seen as wrong or even insensitive.

Genie, you're free.

When it comes to the tweet posted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka @TheAcademy) about Robin Williams' death, this article made me step back and really think. Whenever Williams died, I was one of the thousands that shared this tweet. I felt like it was a good tribute to him and it went along with his iconic role as the Genie in Aladdin. I did not even think to take a second and realize that the tweet is basically saying that suicide is an option, as the article mentions. Whenever I first saw the tweet, I thought it was actually really nice. As someone who has dealt with mental illness, it seemed like they were just trying to say that Williams is finally free of all the troubles that he had to face daily- however, after really stopping and thinking about it you realize that it crosses a line.

"Copycat Suicide"

As the article mentions, this kind of language could unintentionally lead to "copycat suicide" which is a very real thing- especially when it comes to celebrities that many view as role models, like Williams. A prime of example of copycat suicide going around through social media right now is the "blue whale game" where teens are encouraged to do different challenges leading up to the last challenge- killing themselves. The game started out in Russia and has gone viral- now teenagers all around the world are participating in the challenges. So far I believe about 130 deaths have been related back to the deadly game; it's extremely tragic and upsetting.