Self-harm: images and text posted on social media platforms

摘要

Self-harm is a global public health challenge and the UK has one of the highest rates of self-harm across Europe. There is evidence to suggest that a large number of people are representing their self-harm online. Research on self-harm and the internet is an emerging field of inquiry which so far has focussed on whether social media use for self-harm is helpful or harmful. The aims of this research were to explore images tagged as self-harm on three social media platforms to identify what was being posted, to explore the meaning of images in relation to what they say about reasons for self-harm and motives for posting, and finally to understand how the social media platforms shaped the sharing of self-harm imagery.udA total of 602 images were analysed from Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. The images were analysed using a visual content analysis and a visual thematic analysis, which included a cross site analysis. There was also an exploration of the sites to understand their usability and how they supported, or hindered, the posting of self-harm imagery.udImages posted onto these three sites were a mix of photography, drawings, collages and text. When self-harm was present the predominant method was cutting on the arms or legs. Females were also represented more than males.udA number of themes were identified within and across sites which presented motivations for self-harm, ideas about the body, particularly the female body, motivations for posting images, and the link between self-harm and emotional distress.udThe findings from this research offer a new understanding of how people are utilising social media to share messages about self-harm. The results were considered in relation to broader self-harm literature, implications for clinical work and future research.