Running Head: SUICIDE & THE INTERNET 1

Genre Analysis: Suicide & the Internet

Anna Gonzalez
University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1302
Suicide & the Internet 2

Suicide & the Internet

Suicide is a renowned topic that has been occurring throughout history in all regions of

the world. For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death

(Suicide Prevention, 2015). It is thought to be linked to medical illnesses such as depression, or

bi polar disorder but sometimes might also be caused by alcohol or drug abuse. Nevertheless,

with the creation of the Internet as well as the evident increase in dependency on social media,

has raised the question as to whether there might be a concern in its possible correlation with

suicide. So, does the Internet and social media actually help prevent suicide or does it in fact

provoke it?

Audience and Purpose

The first genre, Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective is an online article

created by David D. Luxton, Jennifer D. June, and Jonathan M. Fairall in May, 2012. This article

was derived from a database access website called, The National Center for Biotechnology

Information. Thus, indicating that the purpose of this article is to inform the audience of the

rising problem showing the association of the Internet or social media and suicide rates. The

second genre titled, Teen Suicide Rates double?! Is a YouTube video created by The Doctors on

December, 14, 2016. The Doctors is an Emmy award-winning daytime talk show hosted by ER

physician Dr. Travis Stork, plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon (The Doctors, 2016), where they

discuss the latest health news. Similarly, the purpose of this video is to inform the audience of

the shocking rise in suicide rates among teenagers.

The online article, Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective, deriving from

an online database indicates that the intended audience may include the public community.
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However, it is evident that it would mainly consist of individuals or organizations that are in

search for credible sources and information relating to science and health advances. The intended

audience for the YouTube video is any viewer worldwide, especially adults that are interested in

knowing about the most recent health concerns. Ultimately the target audience being The

Doctors YouTube channel subscribers. Therefore, the subscribers and the general audience is

already aware that they focus on prominent health issues. In addition, by reading the title, the

audience already knows that the video is going to focus on delivering insight over the concern

that teenage suicide rates have doubled. Hence, this indicates that the audience chose to watch

the video to understand the underlying reasons and evidence as well as the discussion by experts

concerning the shocking increase in teenage suicide. Correspondingly, the audience for the

article may already know the preliminary information regarding the topic however, they would

be interested in learning more details about it. Hence, they would likely pursue the findings of

factual evidence and research showing the correlation between suicide and the Internet.

The specific time frame allotted to cover all the information differs in both genres.

Nevertheless, the audiences time convenience also plays a huge role in knowing how much time

people will spend on each genre. Since the first genre is an online article, the viewer will likely

spend at least 15 minutes reading the article. However, this time frame may vary since it depends

on the reading speed and the necessity to go back and re analyze parts of the article, unique to

each individual. Even so, it is probable that the audience may not read all the content but merely

scan the information presented. On the other hand, in regards to the YouTube video, the audience

will spend almost 4 minutes to watch the video thoroughly without any interruptions.

Each genre is unique in the way it presents its information to their intended audience.

However, they both focus on informing the audience of the relationship between suicide and the
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Internet. First of all, the specialized vocabulary and language used in the specific genre is diverse

on each. In the article, the language is very formal as it uses several factual examples and

statistical information to validate several points made throughout. Therefore, the specialized

vocabulary used is scientific terms, those usually used in a scientific study. Furthermore, another

specialized vocabulary is the terms used in regards to popular sites. That is, the article

continually includes several examples of the different blogging, video or social networking sites,

using their title as references for factual examples. In contrast, the YouTube video demonstrates a

semi-formal language use. Semi-formal because the discussion is given by a psychologist, Dr.

Lisa Strohman but she purposely tries to convey the information in an understandable way for

the public audience. Thus, there is not an evident specialized vocabulary due to the

acknowledgement that the audience may have little to no familiarization with medical

terminology.

The visual appearance of the genre is one of the key components that influence the

audience. It may either encourage the audience to keep reading/watching it or it might just do the

opposite if it is lacking or if it is boring. The manner in which they present and arrange the

information differs in each genre. In the article, it is evident that it is reading intensive. The fact

that it does not contain the input of visuals such as charts, or graphs to keep a balance between

text and pictures, might overwhelm the reader. The use of color also gives importance

aesthetically, in this case, the only color used is green which is used throughout the article to

emphasize the importance in the titles and subtitles. The organization of the article is respectable

since the text is presented in a clear manner by dividing the vast amount of information into

subtitles to guide the reader and reflect what the authors feel is important. Contrary to the article,

the video features blue language captions throughout the video that help the audience follow
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along with the different sub topics which help captivate the audiences attention and follow along

with the discussion the expert is explaining.

Rhetorical Issues

Both genres use rhetorical appeals to persuade and deliver the message effectively to the

audience. Yet, the way in which they are presented and executed differ in each genre.

Ethos

The credibility of each genre is executed in different ways in order to assure the audience

that the information is validated and reliable. For the first genre, the fact that the online article

titled is derived from the National Center for Biotechnology Information resembles reliability.

This website contains various databases and numerous research accessibility concerning

biomedical and genomic information. Even so, the article itself contains an astonishing 75

citations for the sources used throughout it. Thus, validating and supporting the factual examples

as well as the scientific evidence given to support the claims made throughout the article. The

second genre, is a YouTube video created by The Doctors which is a legitimate television talk

show. In addition, the evidence used to support the statistical claim expressing the shocking

doubling in suicidal rates, is derived from a federal report. Nevertheless, further evidence

presented is discussed through the testimony of the psychologist, Dr. Lisa Strohman, an expert in

the topic.

Pathos

The emotional appeal used to persuade the audience is similar in both genres. The first

genre, since it is an article based on portraying factual information, it does no focus on stirring

the audiences emotions. However, the overall feeling inferred is a sense of awakening and
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realization in pertinence with the astonishing evidence presented concerning the Internet and its

relationship as a public health problem. Similarly, the video tries to evoke awareness and alarm

over the doubling rates of teenage suicide. Nevertheless, the YouTube video uses empathy to

accomplish the desired effect. That is, during the video Dr. Strohman correlates and creates an

assumption that a probable cause for the rise in teenage suicide raise is because of the popularity

of cell phones and other electronic devices among children deliberately brought upon by the

parents.

Logos

The way both genres expressed the logical aspect of the information varies. For the first

genre, the article justified and gave substantial evidence through the explanation of different test

trials and research done regarding suicide. One of the experimental research conducted was a

systematic Web search of 12 suicide-associated terms to simulate the results of a typical search

conducted by a person seeking information on suicide methods (Luxton, 2012). Which was used

to support the claim stating that the Internet aides and creates ease in obtaining pro-suicide

information. Other relevant research trails and data provided include subtopics such as

cyberbullying, suicide pacts and even testimonies all derived from credible sources. The second

genre, depicts logic mainly through the testimony of Dr. Strohman, a professional psychologist.

She uses her attained knowledge on the subject to support the claims stated and give insight on

the subject.

Structure and Delivery

The structure and delivery of each genre was organized differently as they presented their

information revolving suicide. The article exemplified the content in a clear, conventional
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manner consisting of paragraphs, titles and subtitles in order to ease the accessibility of the

article's content. Furthermore, the article starts by giving an abstract where the authors gave the

overall idea and main points to be covered in detail throughout the rest of the article. They

explain that their goal is to provide an overview of ways that social media can influence suicidal

behavior, both negatively and positively, and evaluate the evidence of the risk (Luxton, 2012).

The second genre similarly expresses the information clearly by organizing each sub topic

discussed throughout the video for the audience to follow along. It facilitates the audiences

ability to understand the main topics and allows them to focus on the most important parts that

the authors want to emphasize. Moreover, the information is organized and structured in a logical

way that facilitates its purpose since it is used to convey a specific information in a way that is

understandable. They start with the alarming statistical fact, explain the reasoning behind it and

lastly finalize with helpful tips to reduce it. Thus, establishing a structural and formalized way to

introduce the information effectively to the intended audience.

Despite the varying content of each genre, there are limitations placed within each. The

first genre, has limitations specifically because it is an article with a vast amount of information.

Thus, likely creating a lack of interest to read the content thoroughly since it might be

overwhelming. However, the article is capable of expressing the information freely without a

restriction or limit in the amount of content. The video on the other hand, might sometimes have

time restrictions that cause limitation in available information. Furthermore, it might not be able

to place as many statistical fact or pictures due to the commonality that it is like an open

discussion. Yet, the video content has the flexibility and the freedom to express the creators own

ideas and perspectives regarding the topic as it may have more than one single explanation or
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cause. Hence, within each genre the information revolves on suicide but the manner in which it is

presented is unique.

Conclusion

Overall, both genres displayed cohesive information regarding the contentious topic,

suicide. The first genre, an online article, was deliberately expressing statistical and factual

evidence to provide support to the claims discussed as to whether the Internet has a positive or a

negative effect on suicide. The second genre was a YouTube video that used experts to share

exclusive insight on the fact that teenage suicide rates had doubled. Teenage suicide rates on the

rise have provoked a concern and intuition towards its correlation with social media and the

Internet. Thus, as a public health problem, both genres are attempting to create awareness and

express the importance of accepting that it is an issue that should be addressed.

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References

Luxton, D. D., June, J. D., & Fairall, J. M. (2012). Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health
Perspective. American Journal of Public Health, 102(Suppl 2), S195S200.
http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300608

Suicide Prevention. (2015, March 10). Retrieved February 15, 2017, from
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/youth_suicide.html

T. (2016, December 14). Teen Suicide Rates Double?! Retrieved February 15, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VoIBH1EEoc