Social media and suicide

Social media and suicide have important relationships. The death of Phoebe Prince was said to have resulted from cyberbullying. There is some concern that the desire for achieving prestige via online memorials may encourage suicides. Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, has warned that popular social networking sites lead young people to form "transient relationships" which put them at risk of suicide when they collapse.

Suicide notes
It has generally been found that those who post suicide notes online tend to not receive help. Paul Zolezzi indicated via a Facebook update his intent to commit suicide. In 2010, John Patrick Bedell left a Wikipedia user page and YouTube videos interpreted by some as a suicide note; the former was deleted by Wikipedia administrators. Joe Stack also posted a suicide note online.

Webcasted suicides
Kevin Whitrick and Abraham K. Biggs webcasted their suicides.

Suicide pacts
Gerald Krein and William Francis Melchert-Dinkel were accused of arranging internet suicide pacts.

Interventions
Demi Moore and her followers intervened to stop a suicide that had been announced on Twitter.

Discussion and support groups
Some online groups, such as alt.suicide.holiday, have emerged as discussion and support groups for suicidal individuals. Research indicates that providing more online support for suicidal people would be more effective than shutting down pro-suicide websites. The Defense Centers of Excellence have expressed interest in using social media for suicide prevention. Facebook groups have sometimes been set up for suicide prevention purposes, including one that attracted 47,000 members.

SAMHSA's Suicide Prevention Lifeline operates on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.