۱- Introduction

۲- Method and procedures

۳- Results and discussion

۴- General discussion

۵- Conclusions

References

Abstract

This study examined a sample of 26 cases from 2001 to 2017, in which remote online internet audiences witnessed a disturbed person’s threat over a webcam to commit suicide. In almost all cases (92%) the would-be suicide went through with the threat. Baiting or jeering (encouraging the suicide attempt and/or denigrating the victim) occurred in 11 of 26 cases (42%). However assistance (attempts to discourage the suicide threat) also occurred in 88% of cases. This study of online baiting extends Mann’s (1981) archival study of crowd baiting in episodes of suicide threats from buildings and bridges. Analysis of accounts of the 26 online episodes in our study revealed consistent with Mann (1981) that larger internet audiences witnessing the suicide threat and also episodes of longer duration were more likely associated with suicide baiting. We also found audience baiting was associated with apparent drug use by the suicide threatener. Audience anonymity, victim stigmatization, and a belief the victim is “playing” the audience might contribute to online baiting behavior. The high lethality associated with online suicide threats (92% in our sample) reinforces the importance of professional intervention and rapid response in episodes of online suicide threats.

Introduction

Researchers have attempted to understand anti-social behaviors (e.g. trolling, cyberbullying, cybersuicide) associated with the internet (Fichman & Sanfilippo, 2016; McDonald, Horstmann, Strom, & Pope, 2009; Phillips, 2015; Suler & Phillips, 1998; Willard, 2006). While some online forms of antisocial behaviour could simply be considered disruptive (Fichman & Sanfilippo, 2016; Suler & Phillips, 1998), other behaviours are more serious for users and service providers (Sigala, 2017). The present study examines extreme cases of antisocial behaviour online, specifically the phenomenon of suicide baiting of a disturbed person by an online audience. Episodes of threatened and actual suicides have been broadcast in real time on webcams (Polder-Verkiel, 2012; Seko, 2016; Senft, 2008; Westerlund, Hadlaczky, & Wasserman, 2015). Rather than assist the victim (Polder-Verkiel, 2012), many of the witnesses to these online suicide attempts have actually jeered and denigrated the victim instead, encouraging them to perform the act (Polder-Verkiel, 2012; Seko, 2016). As incitement to suicide is illegal in many jurisdictions (e.g. Pirkis, Neal, Dare, Blood, & Studdert, 2009) some witnesses have been sought by police, and most witnesses have subsequently deleted their contributions to discussion boards following the suicide baiting episode (Westerlund, Hadlaczky, & Wasserman, 2015). In other instances the hosts of such episodes have either taken down the website (Smith, 2010), or sought further protective options (Guynn, 2017). To better understand the phenomenon of online suicide threats and audience baiting and to begin consideration of preventative and protective measures the present paper analyses a sample of 26 cases for factors associated with and contributing to the online baiting phenomenon.