Does media inadvertently act as an advertisement for this site?

[Emerita]

I would have never found this site without stumbling upon an article about it. Although the article didn't name the site, it described it, within the first few sentences I had enough information. All it took was entering the phrase "pro-choice suicide forum" into the search bar. I was met with a Wikipedia page that had a picture of the site. I clicked on it, found the name, and instantly created an account. I don't even know if I spent a few minutes lurking, I may have looked at just one post. My knowledge of the site came from an article that mentioned how a site helped someone end their life. I didn't even read the whole article originally, I just left, thinking I had found what I needed. I already knew how to hang myself, it's not hard. I was reading autopsy reports and case studies anything really for weeks, but never found this site while searching.

Do you think the media inadvertently acts as an advertisement for those who are suicidal? It makes this forum seem like the holy grail for someone looking to die. I also feel that the stories about those who have died (RIP) give the site a more credibility in the minds of those who are suicidal, especially because of how they portray it. Research has shown that news coverage can affect suicide rates, particularly when details about methods are provided along with sensationalized stories. However, there hasn't been any in depth research on the impact of news coverage that speaks about this forum.

It's known that seeing a person's face in a picture can be persuasive, as we are social animals. This, combined with confirmation of a death, the method used, and the source of the information, creates a powerful narrative. It's almost hypocritical, as the media provides a map to this forum.

SaSu, with the anonymity of the site may make new users skeptical about the content and its reliability. Research indicates that people tend to initially view anonymous accounts as less trustworthy. However, I would argue that the media depicts this place in a way that enhances its perceived credibility. What do you think?

 

[Linda]

You are by no means the only person who has found the site as a result of (usually negative) coverage in the media. So the answer to your question is definitely "Yes".

 

[Forever Sleep]

It absolutely does. This survey used to be with the sticky threads... So far- 60% found the site via some sort of media piece- The New York Times, the BBC. A massive 40% found it via the Tantacrul YouTube video. Incidently- the site was flooded with suspected applications by minors at that point too. Seeing as I don't think he age restricted the video initially...

How did you first hear about / find your way to SanctionedSuicide? (2nd poll)

It called to me when it was a subreddit sapling. We need that slogan back. DELAYING THE INEVITABLE

sanctioned-suicide.net

 

[Pluto]

 

[SignatureRequired]

100%... People who don't get it will think what they will, the people who truly need this space now know of its existence. (And that is a good thing). However, it makes it easier for people to band together against this place too. That is probably the intended idea of these awful articles.

All it took was entering the phrase "pro-choice suicide forum" into the search bar

Similarly, I typed in "suicide forum".

 

[bankai]

Kind of funny how that comes to bite them back in the butt

Interestingly, I found it on another sports forum. Just a normal forum, but one of the users posted a link to this forum. Completely by chance.

 

[Galahad]

Absolutely. I used to be on the 2 infamous Google groups 20 plus years ago and was as erratic logging in there as I am here (how I wish I'd ordered N back then when there seemed plentiful suppliers).

Fast forward a couple of decades, no easy suicide help online but then the media start hammering an unnamed website for being pro suicide.

It didn't take too long searching to find this place.

I would never have known SaSu existed without the UK media berating it so badly.

 

[artificialpasta]

They aren't ignorant of this effect. There is a longstanding principle about reporting on suicide methods in media.
All they care about is views.

 

[JesiBel]

I found about this forum through Google searching for a ctb method by causing hemorrhage.

Most people are curious. I think if they were to read about this forum in a newspaper article, blog, or social network, they would probably come here to see what it's all about (even if they are not suicidal)

On the subject of trusting anonymous people (all of us), I think we always back ourselves up by looking for information in various places/sites, and from there each one intuits what is useful or real and what is not.

I don't think it has a negative influence either (on people who are 'well'), I mean, I think this phenomenon they call "suicide contagion" is totally false. I doubt that anyone who has a 'good life' just by reading an article or visiting the forum would decide to take their own life just because.

Somehow, mentioning this site somewhere will give it a bit of "advertise" and encourage people to take a look. (Or maybe I'm just too curious, and I'm talking from my perspective)

 

[GeminiButter]

Yep I found out about it through the article that explicitly named it, I think it was the New York Times - it's only one article I've come across that explicitly named it. I searched for a while before to try and find it but couldn't.

 

[BearTreadingWater]

It came top of the search results after I read a BBC article and search something like "pro suicide forum". That was definitely how I found my way here. I'd thought about looking after reading other articles, but think that was the first time I'd searched. Even from the article, it was clear it wasn't what they were accusing it of being.

 

[Ch4in3dcr0w]

Yeah absolutly when a suicidal person reads about a internet forum full of other suicidal people he will be interested and probably join. I dont think the forum affects suicide rates it helps people who would do it most likely anyway with choosing a good method thats as painless as possible there is no advertisment or huge ads screaming "CBT NOW!!!" and no one also talks here like that. I found the most supportive/empathetic people here on this topic ever.

 

[catchingaliteralbus]

I would have never found this site without stumbling upon an article about it. Although the article didn't name the site, it described it, within the first few sentences I had enough information. All it took was entering the phrase "pro-choice suicide forum" into the search bar. I was met with a Wikipedia page that had a picture of the site. I clicked on it, found the name, and instantly created an account. I don't even know if I spent a few minutes lurking, I may have looked at just one post. My knowledge of the site came from an article that mentioned how a site helped someone end their life. I didn't even read the whole article originally, I just left, thinking I had found what I needed. I already knew how to hang myself, it's not hard. I was reading autopsy reports and case studies anything really for weeks, but never found this site while searching.

Do you think the media inadvertently acts as an advertisement for those who are suicidal? It makes this forum seem like the holy grail for someone looking to die. I also feel that the stories about those who have died (RIP) give the site a more credibility in the minds of those who are suicidal, especially because of how they portray it. Research has shown that news coverage can affect suicide rates, particularly when details about methods are provided along with sensationalized stories. However, there hasn't been any in depth research on the impact of news coverage that speaks about this forum.

It's known that seeing a person's face in a picture can be persuasive, as we are social animals. This, combined with confirmation of a death, the method used, and the source of the information, creates a powerful narrative. It's almost hypocritical, as the media provides a map to this forum.

SaSu, with the anonymity of the site may make new users skeptical about the content and its reliability. Research indicates that people tend to initially view anonymous accounts as less trustworthy. However, I would argue that the media depicts this place in a way that enhances its perceived credibility. What do you think?

DEFINITELY YES. I never would've heard about this site if some gadfly mom hadn't made it onto the news trying to get the site banned because her son used it to help him. I thought this exact same thing at the time.

 

[TAW122]

I'm sure there is a big impact on it, so the simple answer is 'yes', it does inadvertently act as an advertisement for the website itself. However, since I've joined as far back as 2018, I found SaSu through the eventual closure and shutdown of the two subreddits back in 2018, which led to the creation of this platform, SaSu. As for whether I may CTB or not, that is my decision and mine alone, and this platform just offers the solace and safe space that I otherwise would not have had elsewhere. It also allowed me to not choose means that were unreliable, risky, or likely to fail and suffer even more.

 

[33K1LLM3]

Well haha, In my case I knew that it existed because of the bbc, just I didn't want where it was and what it was called. Then I read a Wikipedia page about banned subreddits and oops, I made my way here. So a partial thank you to them, but mostly a thank you my wierd intrests of reading about banned media

 

[Redleaf1992]

UK channel 4 have a two part tv series on SS and Keneth law this wensday and Thursday.

Shall we place bets on how many new members?

 

[Marcy1024]

In my case, was chatgpt who let me knoe about this site.
I dont remeber exactly but I was asking it about lostallhope.com drama and temporary close. He got confuse and talked about this site.

 

[SchizoGymnast]

I discovered this site through a true crime documentary. They didn't ID the site at all, but it doesn't take long to do some digging.

In my case, was chatgpt who let me knoe about this site.
I dont remeber exactly but I was asking it about lostallhope.com drama and temporary close. He got confuse and talked about this site.

I miss lostallhope

 

[claracatchingthebus]

yes

i read a bbc article about this site that didn't state the name

it was something like "horrible evil site is destroying lives by encouraging people to commit suicide. we will not include the name so no one will go there because the site is evil and must be stopped."

i was like "evil site encouraging suicide? finally a place where i would belong" and so then searched for about an hour or two and found the site name, then arrived.

if there weren't articles about how evil this site is, i never would have found it, ever

 

[ceilng_tile]

I found this site through a news article. I found that news article because I googled "suicide forum." I was already suicidal and was actively looking for a place like this. I knew that pro-anorexia sites existed so I figured the same must be true for suicide.

 

[2messdup]

UK channel 4 have a two part tv series on SS and Keneth law this wensday and Thursday.

Shall we place bets on how many new members?

That was my thought.

 

[dontwakemeup]

That youtube video and I won't mention his name has helped me so much! Of course he wasn't speaking positively about this site but he inadvertently advertised this site. I wonder if he will ever know how many people he has helped end their lives, prevented botched attempts, or helped us to this site.
I won't give him too much credit because his video made this site seem like you join and there are a list of a-z guaranteed methods, it certainly isn't. I've attempted once since joing but had some priors. If I had believed the information on here as factual, I would have known I would have failed, but I was desperate. I was on another attempt and posted my method and those who commented saved me an agonizing path.
The more attention this site gets, the more people will willingly come.

 

[goatmonster :3]

I only ever found out about this site because of some derp talking about how bad it is for likes. you can't "raise awareness" about a forum, preaching against it, without simultaneously increasing traffic towards it. guy said he wouldn't name it directly, and made up a fake name for it with the same acronym too, so it was easy to find. people are stupid.

 

[nooneyouknow]

oh 100%, found out about the site a year or so before signing up for it from the ones dudes YouTube video and I just could not forget it. I had already been dealing with a fair bit of issues prior so not surprising i joined when I did. without media coverage on this I wouldn't have found it whatsoever

 

[Cauliflour]

I actually didn't know about all the media coverage this site had before I joined. I don't read online newspapers as the news is all biased bullshit nowadays and it takes too much time and energy to look through multiple sources to find the actual truth parts for something I won't mostly care about. I found this by typing "pro self harm forum" on Google and the going to the 11th page where some post here was brought up. If I did find this via a news source then I probably wouldn't have joined as I don't have any short term suicide plans so I figured it wouldn't apply to me.

 

[Parasitism]

Absolutely! Shout out to Tantacul!

 

[_Maya]

A lot of people say that any press is good press, and i guess that applies to this site.
I found it from pure coincidence when searching up ways to ctb, but it seems a lot of other people have found it from some sort of new article, or video they saw about it.

 

[amerie]

They aren't ignorant of this effect. There is a longstanding principle about reporting on suicide methods in media.
All they care about is views.

The sad truth, people also just want to feel like saviors and how potentially getting rid of this site will cure the underlying problem of people self exiting instead of actually fixing the systematic hells of this world.

 

[sevennn]

*puts tinfoil hat on* maybe they want us to find it and off ourselves lol

 

[fallingtopieces]

streisand effect