Readers' perceptions of self-harm messages on social media

Digital self-harm is becoming increasingly evident, and new technology fosters and encourages it. More worryingly, it has been associated with suicide; people engaging in digital self-harm often engage in offline self-harm. This study employed the stimulus-organism-response theoretical framework to examine how individuals reading a digital self-harm message perceived its probable underlying motivation, its credibility, the extent of readers' sympathy, empathy, and sense of injustice regarding its author, and their intention to support the author. To illuminate the nature of such messages, this study compared readers' reactions upon reading them with those of readers reading a retaliatory message. A partial least squares analysis of 241 survey returns (124 self-harm and 117 retaliatory message questionnaire returns) revealed that, while readers often viewed self-harm message authors as seeking external emotional support, they were less likely to view the authors as entertaining others. Readers' views regarding such messages' credibility is crucial, as it increases their sympathy, empathy, and sense of injustice toward the author. Empathy is more important than sympathy in provoking readers’ support toward authors. Thus, steps must be taken to foster more public empathy toward digital self-harm message authors, and the public must be educated about such messages' credibility.