“…  I Really Prepared to Take My Life  …”: Dynamics, Instruments and Suicidal Thoughts Among Nigerian University Students Following Social Media Reported Suicides

2020 ◽  
pp. 003022282096932
Author(s):  
Joseph Ogbonnaya Alo Ekpechu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
University Students ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Nigerian University

This study examined the different dimensions and instruments used in committing suicide and how it gave rise to suicidal thoughts among Nigerian university students who had witnessed these suicide cases posted in social media platforms. Convenience sample of 30 students who had witnessed social media reported suicides were studied using focus group discussion. It was found that suicide a single person affair becomes a group affair through the power of its postings in social media platforms which generates different discussions on it. Students tend to have different suicidal thoughts following suicides they watched in social media platforms. These suicidal thoughts come in the form of high suicidal ideation, near suicidal ideation and no suicidal ideation. Use of sniper (a chemical used in killing insects) in committing suicide by students generated more thoughts of suicide especially when posted in social media platforms than other means of committing suicide.

The effects of social media usage on loneliness and well-being: analysing friendship connections of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoyu Ye ◽  
Kevin K.W. Ho ◽  
Andre Zerbe
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Access Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Purpose This study aims to clarify the effects of different patterns of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram usage on user loneliness and well-being in Japan. Design/methodology/approach Based on responses to a self-report questionnaire in Japan, 155 university students were separated into 4 groups: users of Twitter only, users of Twitter and Facebook, users of Twitter and Instagram and users of all three social media. The effects of social media usage on loneliness and well-being for each group were analysed. Findings No social media usage effects on loneliness or well-being were detected for those who used only Twitter or both Twitter and Instagram. For those using both Twitter and Facebook, loneliness was reduced when users accessed Twitter and Facebook more frequently but was increased when they posted more tweets. Users of all three social media were lonelier and had lower levels of well-being when they accessed Facebook via PC longer; whereas their their access time of Facebook via smartphones helped them decrease loneliness and improve their levels of well-being. Originality/value The findings reported here provide possible explanations for the conflicting results reported in previous research by exploring why users choose different social media platforms to communicate with different groups of friends or acquaintances and different usage patterns that affect their loneliness and well-being.

Media Awareness Preferences for Information on Sickle Cell Disorder Among University Students in Southwestern Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 59-74
Author(s):  
Cynthia Omoseyitan Ojomo ◽  
Taye Babaleye Babaleye
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Susceptible Genotype ◽  
Southwestern Nigeria ◽  
Blood Disorder ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Basic Facts ◽  
Cell Disorder ◽  
University Of Ibadan

Sickle cell disorder (SCD) is a defective blood disorder that causes pain associated with blood genotypes of victims who risk dying before their 30th birthday. SCD is best controlled when victims avoid getting married to one another to prevent the spread of susceptible genotype. Many youths lack basic facts of SCD. For long, its awareness was limited to broadcast and print media. But today, social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp—are also used to create awareness on the disease. This study attempts to determine the preferred communication channels for creating awareness on SCD among university students in South-Western Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted. Respondents were 259 students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and University of Ibadan, both in South-West Nigeria. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Social media awareness was 51.6%, and conventional media was 48.4%. Thus, more of the respondents preferred awareness on SCD through social media platforms.

Youth Participation in Politics

2019 ◽  
pp. 54-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Phiri
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Representative Democracy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Youth Participation ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Public Policy Decisions ◽  
Descriptive Survey

This chapter explores the manner in which Zambian university students engage with public policy decisions which are of immediate and future interest to them. It observes that the youths may have little faith in representative democracy and instead are utilizing social media platforms to directly engage with decision-makers and publics, and thus subverting the essence of the authority of parliament. The study uses descriptive survey design and the methodology of “Briscolage” to capture and scrutinize two politically charged cases, and concludes that the youth globally may be challenging liberalism and in that way fashioning a new narrative entrenched in postmodernism.

scholarly journals Exploring Behavior of People with Suicidal Ideation in a Chinese Online Suicidal Community

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Guang Yu ◽  
Xianyun Tian
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Social Media Platforms

People with suicidal ideation (PSI) are increasingly using social media to express suicidal feelings. Researchers have found that their internet-based communication may lead to the spread of suicidal ideation, which presents a set of challenges for suicide prevention. To develop effective prevention and intervention strategies that can be efficiently applied in online communities, we need to understand the behavior of PSI in internet-based communities. However, to date there have been no studies that specifically focus on the behavior of PSI in Chinese online communities. A total of 4489 postings in which users explicitly expressed their suicidal ideation were labeled from 560,000 postings in an internet-based suicidal community on Weibo (one of the biggest social media platforms in China) to explore their behavior. The results reveal that PSI are significantly more active than other users in the community. With the use of social network analysis, we also found that the more frequently users communicate with PSI, the more likely that users would become suicidal. In addition, Chinese women may be more likely to be at risk of suicide than men in the community. This study enriches our knowledge of PSI’s behavior in online communities, which may contribute to detecting and assisting PSI on social media.

Media Awareness Preferences for Information on Sickle Cell Disorder Among University Students in Southwestern Nigeria

2022 ◽  
pp. 469-480
Author(s):  
Cynthia Omoseyitan Ojomo ◽  
Taye Babaleye Babaleye
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Susceptible Genotype ◽  
Southwestern Nigeria ◽  
Blood Disorder ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Basic Facts ◽  
Cell Disorder ◽  
University Of Ibadan

Sickle cell disorder (SCD) is a defective blood disorder that causes pain associated with blood genotypes of victims who risk dying before their 30th birthday. SCD is best controlled when victims avoid getting married to one another to prevent the spread of susceptible genotype. Many youths lack basic facts of SCD. For long, its awareness was limited to broadcast and print media. But today, social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp—are also used to create awareness on the disease. This study attempts to determine the preferred communication channels for creating awareness on SCD among university students in South-Western Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted. Respondents were 259 students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and University of Ibadan, both in South-West Nigeria. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Social media awareness was 51.6%, and conventional media was 48.4%. Thus, more of the respondents preferred awareness on SCD through social media platforms.

scholarly journals The Negative Role of Social Media to Create Anxiety in University Students Amidst COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol VI (I) ◽  
pp. 254-263
Author(s):  
Humaira Irfan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Public University ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Negative Role ◽  
English Students

The purpose of the study is to explore the negative role of social media on university students mental health amidst digitalized COVID-19 setting that throbs excruciating pain, fear, anxiety, stress and depression. The quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the Department of English students of a public university in Punjab, Pakistan. The findings reveal that students' are engaged daily for 4 hours on social media forums for online chats, information and amusement. The social media platforms strategically create situations to express unrestrained sentiments. The use of cartoons and images reflect students' potential for creativity, criticality and social innovation.

Online Calling Cards and Professional Profiles in Cybersecurity From Social Media

2022 ◽  
pp. 157-195
Author(s):  
Shalin Hai-Jew
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Web ◽  
Ceteris Paribus ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Educational Pathways ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Target Skills ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Very High

Demand is very high for people to work in various cybersecurity professions and ceteris paribus that demand may well continue into the near term. While there are more formal trails for employment, such as higher-educational pathways, performance in cybersecurity competitions, participation in professional conferences, and social media presentations may all offer less conventional paths into cybersecurity hiring. Through a convenience sample across a number of social media platforms and bottom-up coding, this work explores some aspects of cybersecurity professional profiles (“calling cards”) available on the open Social Web and what may be learned about respective skills and capabilities from these glimmers of the person(s) behind the profiles. These profiles are assessed based on a 2x2 axis with focuses on (1) target skills and (2) personhood attributes. From these analyses, some tentative insights are shared about the cybersecurity calling cards and how informative they may be for recruitment and retention of cybersecurity workers.

Social media use and information-sharing behaviour of university students

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522199156
Author(s):  
Iqra Bashir ◽  
Amara Malik ◽  
Khalid Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Types Of Information

Social media has evolved over the last decade as a key driver for sharing and acquiring information in various domains of life. The increasing popularity of social media raises a number of questions regarding the extent of its use and the types of information shared. This study is designed to answer these questions by investigating university students’ use of social media in terms of commonly used social media platforms, frequency of use and the types of information shared. It also looks at differences of opinion based on gender, academic discipline and programme of study. The study is based on a cross-sectional survey; a structured questionnaire was developed and data was collected from 400 students at four universities in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The findings indicate that the majority of the students were frequent users of social media and visited platforms daily or several times a day. WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube were the most widely used social media platforms. Male students tended to use social media more frequently than their female counterparts. This study will serve as a guideline for further research as it addresses an untouched area from a local perspective and reports original research.

scholarly journals Quantifying Suicidal Ideation on Social Media using Machine Learning: A Critical Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 4092-4100
Author(s):  
Syed Tanzeel Rabani ◽  
Qamar Rayees Khan ◽  
Akib Mohi Ud Din Khanday
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts

Suicidal ideation is one of the severe mental health issues and a serious social problem faced by our society. This problem has been usually dealt with through the psychological point of view, using clinical face to face settings. There are various risk factors associated with suicides, including social isolation, anxiety, depression, etc., that decrease the threshold for suicide. The COVID-19 pandemic further increases social isolation, posing a great threat to the human population. Posting suicidal thoughts on social media is gaining much attention due to the social stigma associated with the mental health. Online Social Networks (OSN) are increasingly used to express the suicidal thoughts. Recently, a top Indian actor industry took the harsh step of suicide. The last Instagram posts revealed signs of depression, which if anticipated could have saved the precious life. Recent research indicated that the public information on social media provides valuable insights on detecting the users with the suicidal ideation. The motive of this study is to provide a systematic review of the work done already in the use of social media for suicide prevention and propose a novel classification approach that classifies the suicide related tweets/ posts into three levels of distress. Moreover, our proposed classification task which was implemented through various machine learning techniques revealed high accuracy in classifying the suicidal posts. Among all algorithms, the best performing algorithm was that of the decision tree, with an F1 score ranging 0.95-0.97. After thoroughly studying the work achieved by different researchers in the area of suicide prevention, our study critically analyses those works and finds various research gaps and solves some of them. We believe that our work will motivate research community to look into other gaps that will in turn help psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors to protect individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.

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