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Social Networks, Suicide and Statistics

Posted by timothy on from the you-and-31-friends-like-the-black-capsule dept.

mikejuk writes "The data that is available in social networks is often used to detect the opinion of the crowd — but can it reveal the state of mind of the individual. New research suggests that some simple but non-obvious characteristics of social network use are related to suicide. Data mining is usually about determining things of economic advantage, but in this case, suicide we have a personal loss and an economic one. A new paper by a group of Japanese researchers Naoki Masuda, Issei Kurahashi and Hiroko Onari claims to have found ways of detecting suicidal tendencies — or at least the tendency to think about suicide, so-called 'suicide ideation.' The study used the Japanese social network mixi, which has over 27 million members and allows users to join any of over 4.5 million topic groups — some focusing on the subject of suicide. This provided a study and control group to compare. The most interesting finding is that while users in the suicide group had lots of friends, they didn't have as many transitive relationships i.e. where A friends B friends C friends A. This suggests that it isn't lack of friends but a lack of tight social groupings that is a factor. The same technique could be used to investigate similar problems such as depression and alcohol abuse."

4 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. other interesting facts by alphatel · · Score: 5, Insightful
    • 1) People who successfully commit suicide do not poll well.
    • 2) Most that fail to commit suicide realize they shouldn't be looking for help on social networks.
    • 3) Those that fail to commit suicide and then fail to realize they shouldn't be looking for help on social networks attempt suicide again. If successful, see 1, if unsuccessful, loop until 3.
    --
    When the foot seeks the place of the head, the line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.
  2. Re:'tight social grouping' by Exrio · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You don't have to know each other in real life to have a tight social group. It happens online too.

    I'd rephrase it as: "These are not real friends, just people they stumbled upon on the Internet."

    I don't use social networks but I have a feeling that's mostly what ends up happening.

  3. The experiment lack a control. by VortexCortex · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Where's the control group of people who abstain from social networks?

  4. Anyone sucked in deserves what they get by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seriously. None of it is needed or even desireable. It's like overdosing on TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, Hollywood Insider, and a bajillion other "social" networking concepts - which are all desigend to make people think they are clebrities.

    Fuck them all.