Democratised Media and Suicide Prevention: New Implications for Public Health and Policy

Background: Social media's rapid evolution has increased exposure to suspected suicides, driven by the democratisation of media content through polymediated transmission. There is a wide gap in our understanding of the impact of this phenomenon, and no research from preventive public and mental health perspectives. This study aimed to examine social media exposure to suspected suicide and its impact on communities from the perspectives of public and mental health. Methods: Knowledge Exchange workshops and in-depth interviews with public health and mental health professionals who work in a responding capacity following a suspected suicide informed the study. Their observations and experiences provided insights into polymediated exposure: how platforms operate, user behaviour, context of use, impact on communities and challenges and opportunities for intervention. A thematic and narrative analysis of qualitative data was conducted. Results: The study emphasises polymedia as a theoretical framework for understanding how the intertwining of diverse social media platforms transforms the way narratives relating to suspected suicides unfold. Analysis of the communicative ecology of social media highlighted the dual potential of social media content to both amplify and mitigate the risk of suicide. Data underscored the role of social media in fuelling increased exposure to harmful discourse in multiple and often unexpected ways, contributing to the copycat effect. Responsible content moderation and protective discourse can reverse these effects; however, these efforts may be compromised by algorithms that favour the Werther effect and social media’s connection to users’ reduced attention span, which affects their capacity to think before posting. Conclusion: This study contributes important new knowledge into the ways in which social media transforms exposure to suicide and compelling new evidence for direct impact on communities. As the public play an increasingly active role in generating new forms of media and narratives surrounding suspected suicides, Polymedia theory and the communicative ecology of social media emerge as pivotal factors that warrant a more prominent role in shaping suicide prevention policy. Responding to and managing social media risks requires a new, coordinated public health approach that goes beyond existing guidelines. There is a clear call for the augmentation of existing guidelines to encompass the dynamic nature of social media's influence, involving public health and allied organisations in this crucial endeavour. Keywords: suicide prevention, social media, exposure, polymedia, public health, mental health, postvention, communities, impact.