Internet Pushes Suicide
A new study of the Internet has revealed that a suicidal person has a greater chance of finding suicide promotion/facilitation information than prevention on-line. From the story:Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Oxford, and Manchester replicated a typical Internet search by someone looking for information on suicide. They plugged 12 different search terms related to suicide into each of the four most popular search engines: Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask. They then analyzed the top ten sites from each search.
And they wonder why it's called the Culture of Death...
Overall, the searches uncovered 240 unique sites about suicide, just under half of which provided information about how to commit suicide. Nearly one-fifth of the hits as well as the top three most frequently occurring sites were for pages that promoted suicide. Only 13% of the sites were dedicated to suicide prevention and support, and only 12% actively discouraged suicide. Most of the sites--even some of those dedicated to suicide prevention--provided information on methods of suicide.
Today's research highlights how easy it is to obtain information on how to commit suicide on the Internet and how a surfer is more likely to come across sites that encourage suicide than those that offer support and help.
HT: Alex Schadenberg
Labels: Internet. Suicide Promotion
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 2:43 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
The query terms in this study did not include 'prevention' treatment' 'assistance' 'help' 'counselling'. The terms used were designed to return the information that was retrieved. Search engines "web dragons" are powerful and need skilful handling.
Starpath: Thanks for stopping by. That is very interesting, but not surprising. I have pointed out here that the "scientific study" is too often a tool of advocacy, and that this is undermining trust in science and in the social sciences.
Sometimes Scientific Study results in the very advances our human species enjoy.
If we are to believe man rode on saddled Dinosaurs, then perhaps those believing that should reject all Science and live like the Amish.
As for the "culture of death", the leader of the free world has the nickname of the "Texacutioner" for a reason. Where is the outrage against war from those who have difficulties with death ?
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