Pinning Despair and Distress – Suicide-Related Content on Visual Social Media Platform Pinterest

Abstract

Abstract. Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that an individual dies by suicide every 40 s. Aim: Our aim was to analyze how suicide is portrayed on the visual social media platform Pinterest. Method: This study used a quantitative content analysis of 500 suicide-related Pinterest posts. Content codes included the presence of factors related to the WHO media reporting guidelines. Results: The majority of posts were published by individual Pinterest users, with public and mental health entities rarely present. Suicidal ideation content was more prevalent in visuals than in accompanying text on Pinterest. Considering the WHO media suicide-reporting guidelines, posts featured more helpful than harmful content, but explicit details of suicides and suicide attempts were still prevalent. Finally, comments were more likely to identify with suicidal ideation or post negative content than post supportive content. Limitations: Content analysis cannot discern motivations behind posts; future studies should include other methods. Conclusion: This study suggests there is a critical need for further research into Pinterest and suicide-related topics.