Role of the Media: Understanding Death Fascination for the Prevention of Suicide
Death Fascination is an existing phenomenon in the hitherto society. Death is an inevitable and uncertain reality. However, some sad soul embraces it leaving every living body speculating. Some have taken death as a cannot be waited phenomenon. For instance, as Emily Dickinson has stated beautifully in her poem “Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me.” Likewise, another poet Sylvia Plath’s poem echoes an essence of death fascination in her poem Lady Lazarus, where she defines dying as an art. In her own words, “Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it. In the world of literature death is presented with vivid images to remark death but nothing is as apparently presented as in the poem Wanting Death by Anne Sexton. Her affirmation of death in life is explicitly presented in the verse than Plath and Dickinson. As her poetic persona states in her poem, “But suicides have a special language. Like carpenters they want to know which tools. They never ask why build.” These writers reflect fascination towards death which has been a predominant reason for people to surrender to death.
What is death fascination ? How important is it for people to think about life after death? How do we regard a person who holds a death fascination? How can it be understood to prevent suicide? Does the cognitive influence of the media play any role in the prevention of suicide? The answers to these queries may lead to preventive measures for suicide.
Death Fascination is associated with a philosophical point of view. It provides a drive to contemplate reasons, and the posterior situation of death. It sounds as a morbid reality which is regarded as taboo. Consequently, suicide has become a global health issue.
In light of increasing suicide death around the world, an urge to apprehead dead ones is equally important as to understand living ones. Studies have shown that 90% of people who committ suicide have a mental condition and mental condition is common factor causes suicide. However, according to Samaritans, not all people who commit suicide have a mental health disorder that has been medically diagnosed. Samaritans is a UK based social organization founded 70 years back, envisions fewer people’s death by suicide. “1 in 5 people have thought about suicide at some time in their life. And not all people who die by suicide have mental health problems at the time they die. However, many people who die by suicide have struggled with their mental health, typically to a serious degree. This may or may not be known before the person's death.” That means from Samaritans research, it can be concluded: many suicide victims have had major mental health issues, usually for a long time. It's possible that this may or may not be known before the person passed away.
The great reality that is inextricably linked to nature is death. Death is romanticized throughout the Romantic era; it is viewed as a pipe dream through which one might escape the suffering and tribulations of human life. People can alter their attitude about death by understanding what the essence of life and death is. Of course, a child's awareness of mortality differs from an adult's. When we start talking openly about the fascination of death, we may come across rationale to respect life. The foundation philosophers, poets and authors have laid to think that life is to exercise real freedom rather than to terminate or end what is waiting ahead for us. For Nietzche, death is a conscious choice and life is the only platform which gives opportunity to make it heroic. His idea reflects the importance of life over life after death.
According to Durkheim (1897), suicide is defined as when a person takes a step knowing that it will result in their own death. A moral rationality forbids people from killing themselves. In this regard, those people killing themselves are irrational. This may sound against Libertarianism. The right to suicide is generally defended by libertarianism as a right of noninterference, meaning that others are morally prohibited from interfering with suicidal action since it is related to right to own ownself. But the idea of self-ownership raises numerous conundrums.
Nevertheless, the conundrums are to expunge with the help of popular media to prevent suicide. The concept of death fascination should be familiarized by the media. The cognitive behaviour is hugely influenced by the media. Here, media means both the mainstream media practicing journalism such as TV, newspaper and radio and social networking sites (SNS).
Audiences often rely on these sources for the information. The news feeds disseminate repetitive information that grabs attention impacting the memory and decision making of the viewers. Carefully curated content shapes public perception, and reinforces societal norms.
Hence, media coverage of suicide can indeed create a complex and potentially harmful stimulation among viewers. Sensationalized or graphic portrayals of suicide can inadvertently glamorize or normalize such behavior, leading to a phenomenon known as the "contagion effect." This occurs when media coverage of suicides leads to an increase in copycat suicides or suicidal behaviors among vulnerable individuals who might be influenced by what they see or hear.
In addition, excessive coverage of suicide incidents without proper context or resources for seeking help can contribute to a sense of hopelessness and despair among viewers. By considering the potential cognitive impact of their reporting, media outlets can play a pivotal role in promoting mental health awareness and positively influencing public perception of these critical issues.
Specifically, in the case of Sarukh Tamrakar's suicide: instead of focusing solely on the details of the tragedy, responsible media coverage should delve into the broader issue of mental health awareness, prevention, and support. By initiating conversations around mental health, media outlets could have played a crucial role in breaking down stigmas, educating the public about available resources, and encouraging open discussions about mental well-being. On the other hand, SNS can sometimes amplify harmful narratives and contribute to the spread of misinformation or sensational content may cause more suicidal instincts among living ones. In this case, we have seen a lot of speculation and blame game on SNS. SNS was flooded with the reason of this suicidal commitment disregarding the fact that reason is almost unattainable in the absence of suicidal note
The current trends on SNS resembles an annoying aunt who spreads information, opinions, and judgments without proper context or consideration. Just as an annoying auntie might pass judgment or share unsolicited advice, social media can sometimes foster a culture of negativity, sensationalism, and misinformation.
In response, mainstream media can play a pivotal role in fostering sensitivity and responsible discourse on these platforms. When mainstream media takes an active role in shaping the narrative on social media, they can contribute to a culture of understanding, empathy, and responsible communication, ultimately working towards reducing the negative impact of harmful discussions surrounding suicide and mental health.
Media literacy and critical thinking abilities are essential for navigating and interpreting the complex information landscape as technology develops and media's influence on cognition increases. For the media, starting a meaningful dialogue about death fascination is a significant task. Death curiosity can have a significant impact on our perspective of life, mental health, and cultural beliefs. It involves a complex variety of emotions, attitudes, and society ideas of death.
Comments
Post a Comment