Social media is both a boon and a curse. Incidents that have been taking place since a couple of years are proof enough! While on one hand, people use it to raise funds for those in need; a few stream their crimes and suicides online. Then there are many others who desperately crave social validation.
A similar case has come to light from Malaysia, where a teen posted a poll on her Instagram story to ask her followers whether to ‘live or die’.
“Really Important, Help Me Choose D/L” posted the teenager on her Instagram story. 69% of the followers replied ‘D’ after which she jumped off the roof of a building on May 13.
“According to a close friend of the victim, the ‘D/L’ meant ‘Death/Life’. The poll showed 69% of the girl’s followers chose ‘D’, district police chief Aidil Bolhassan told The Guardian.
The teens who have voted for ‘D’ might face charges of abetment of suicide, said Ramkarpal Singh, a lawyer and member of parliament. “Would the girl still be alive today if the majority of netizens on her Instagram account discouraged her from taking her own life?” he said in a statement. “Would she have heeded the advice of netizens to seek professional help had they done so?”, he added.
Investigations are underway to figure out the cause of suicide by Malaysian lawmakers. Malaysian youth and sports minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, said, “It is very unfortunate a young life was lost in this manner.” He has also called for a meeting to talk about the growing suicide rates in the country.
It’s high time people understand the sensitivity of issues like suicide and social media’s influence on the teens so that such unfortunate incidents can be avoided in the future.