Ethnographic analysis of social media consumption by young people

Social action to combat suicide on Facebook

Abstract

This article seeks to understand the consumption of social media by young people who develop practices to combat suicide on Facebook. The analysis is performed through an ethnographic experience on the internet that conducted the research for twelve months. From the immersion in the Suicide group, it was observed the production of a social scene that creates and values spaces of belonging. In this sense, consumption in the socio-anthropological lens is understood as a producer of places, experiences, and a strategy, used by different social groups, that defines everyday situations. It starts from the sociological conception of suicide that understands this phenomenon as an act of communication incorporated in the internet. Youth practices organized in collaborative actions were analyzed, promoting an authorized environment to express suicidal ideations. With this, we argue that the consumption of social media becomes a privileged element for maintaining social ties, helping to combat suicide among young people who manifest suicidal behaviors in online environments.