Depressed, young people and the Internet - it's a very dangerous mix. |
Japanese see suicide as tragic, yet beautiful or somehow sincere. |
Many young people try to kill themselves but can't carry through. But when a group of strangers meet on an Internet suicide site, and someone suggests a specific way to die ... that's the dangerous dynamic behind the recent group suicides. |
Most of them aren't serious (about killing themselves). But say one chat participant starts suggesting concrete plans... That's when the Internet can encourage suicide. |
Unfortunately, the more younger people there are using the Web, the more suicides we're going to see. The Internet has brought a lot of convenience to Japan, but it has brought with it a lot of ills. |
When Japan was poor, families did more things together out of necessity, like sharing a bath or eating together, and the community was much more important, especially in rural communities. |
When Japan was poor, families did more things together out of necessity. But now it?s increasingly all about the individual. This leaves people more isolated and likely to contemplate suicide. |
Youngsters find that on Internet chat sites, they can talk about the most intimate of issues with total strangers - including vague notions of wanting to die. |