The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a ... more The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a whole new set of anxieties and concerns. While many have worried about how the Internet increases youth access to problematic content—including pornographic and violent content—little consideration has been paid to youth-generated problematic content. This article examines one genre of youth-generated problematic content: that which advocates self-harm practices. Countless websites and online communities are devoted to the topic of deliberate self-harm, ranging from online therapy and support groups to ―pro-anorexia and ―pro-cutting websites, and much of the content on these websites is produced by and for youth. This paper seeks to provide an overview of what is known about the spectrum of self-harm practices and how technology inflects these practices in new ways.
We begin with a brief introductory section detailing a working definition of self-harm based on the most recent published literature, outline the general prevalence and demographics, and note the correlations between self-harm practices, eating disorders, and the media. The latter half of this article summarizes various approaches to handling online self-harm content, ranging from censoring content (through Internet Service Provider (ISP) policies and governmental regulations) to providing support for those struggling with the underlying issues associated with deliberate self-harm (e.g., media literacy programs, online support groups, and grassroots social movements and campaigns). Given that censorship of such content often results in pushing it further underground, we recommend solutions that address the underlying sociocultural forces that motivate youth to engage in self-harm practices, and call for further research into these phenomena.
Originating with the countercultural movement of the 1960s, the growth of the psychedelic trance ... more Originating with the countercultural movement of the 1960s, the growth of the psychedelic trance phenomenon is concurrent with that of the Internet. This shared history is rooted in utopian visions of a vast, interconnected global community free of the iniquities of neoliberalism, defined instead by a return to communality and the gift economy. Yet, equally common are ominous, even apocalyptic, depictions of a world governed by Big Brother, divided by war and poverty, or destroyed entirely by human ignorance. In line with Michel ...
Abstract: The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompa... more Abstract: The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a whole new set of anxieties and concerns. While many have worried about how the Internet increases youth access to problematic content-including pornographic and violent content-little consideration has been paid to youthgenerated problematic content. This Article examines one genre of youth-generated problematic content: that which advocates self-harm practices. Countless websites and online ...
The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a ... more The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a whole new set of anxieties and concerns. While many have worried about how the Internet increases youth access to problematic content-including pornographic and violent content-little consideration has been paid to youthgenerated problematic content. This article examines one genre of youth-generated problematic content: that which advocates self-harm practices. Countless websites and online communities are devoted to the topic of deliberate self-harm, ranging from online therapy and support groups to-pro-anorexia‖ and-pro-cutting‖ websites, and much of † This article was produced as part of the Youth and Media Policy Working Group at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. The authors appreciate the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for making this project possible. The authors would like to thank James Grimmelmann and Kate Crawford for their critical feedback.
A couple of years ago researchers were hard pressed to find anything written, officially or forma... more A couple of years ago researchers were hard pressed to find anything written, officially or formally, about Facebook. com in the world of academia. Now, looking around the web one quickly finds droves of reports and papers on the topic. Originally this reference pool was a wiki, but since uniform formatting and interest in organization became issues Jeff decided to move it over to a static page.
... We became friends and did all sorts of crazy, fun wacky things together. ... untrustworthy ot... more ... We became friends and did all sorts of crazy, fun wacky things together. ... untrustworthy others, and the site's reputation itself. While online social networks can ... online social networking diminish the quality of interpersonal communication and fail to ...
The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a ... more The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a whole new set of anxieties and concerns. While many have worried about how the Internet increases youth access to problematic content—including pornographic and violent content—little consideration has been paid to youth-generated problematic content. This article examines one genre of youth-generated problematic content: that which advocates self-harm practices. Countless websites and online communities are devoted to the topic of deliberate self-harm, ranging from online therapy and support groups to ―pro-anorexia and ―pro-cutting websites, and much of the content on these websites is produced by and for youth. This paper seeks to provide an overview of what is known about the spectrum of self-harm practices and how technology inflects these practices in new ways.
We begin with a brief introductory section detailing a working definition of self-harm based on the most recent published literature, outline the general prevalence and demographics, and note the correlations between self-harm practices, eating disorders, and the media. The latter half of this article summarizes various approaches to handling online self-harm content, ranging from censoring content (through Internet Service Provider (ISP) policies and governmental regulations) to providing support for those struggling with the underlying issues associated with deliberate self-harm (e.g., media literacy programs, online support groups, and grassroots social movements and campaigns). Given that censorship of such content often results in pushing it further underground, we recommend solutions that address the underlying sociocultural forces that motivate youth to engage in self-harm practices, and call for further research into these phenomena.
Originating with the countercultural movement of the 1960s, the growth of the psychedelic trance ... more Originating with the countercultural movement of the 1960s, the growth of the psychedelic trance phenomenon is concurrent with that of the Internet. This shared history is rooted in utopian visions of a vast, interconnected global community free of the iniquities of neoliberalism, defined instead by a return to communality and the gift economy. Yet, equally common are ominous, even apocalyptic, depictions of a world governed by Big Brother, divided by war and poverty, or destroyed entirely by human ignorance. In line with Michel ...
Abstract: The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompa... more Abstract: The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a whole new set of anxieties and concerns. While many have worried about how the Internet increases youth access to problematic content-including pornographic and violent content-little consideration has been paid to youthgenerated problematic content. This Article examines one genre of youth-generated problematic content: that which advocates self-harm practices. Countless websites and online ...
The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a ... more The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a whole new set of anxieties and concerns. While many have worried about how the Internet increases youth access to problematic content-including pornographic and violent content-little consideration has been paid to youthgenerated problematic content. This article examines one genre of youth-generated problematic content: that which advocates self-harm practices. Countless websites and online communities are devoted to the topic of deliberate self-harm, ranging from online therapy and support groups to-pro-anorexia‖ and-pro-cutting‖ websites, and much of † This article was produced as part of the Youth and Media Policy Working Group at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. The authors appreciate the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for making this project possible. The authors would like to thank James Grimmelmann and Kate Crawford for their critical feedback.
A couple of years ago researchers were hard pressed to find anything written, officially or forma... more A couple of years ago researchers were hard pressed to find anything written, officially or formally, about Facebook. com in the world of academia. Now, looking around the web one quickly finds droves of reports and papers on the topic. Originally this reference pool was a wiki, but since uniform formatting and interest in organization became issues Jeff decided to move it over to a static page.
... We became friends and did all sorts of crazy, fun wacky things together. ... untrustworthy ot... more ... We became friends and did all sorts of crazy, fun wacky things together. ... untrustworthy others, and the site's reputation itself. While online social networks can ... online social networking diminish the quality of interpersonal communication and fail to ...
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Papers by Jenny Ryan
We begin with a brief introductory section detailing a working definition of self-harm based on the most recent published literature, outline the general prevalence and demographics, and note the correlations between self-harm practices, eating disorders, and the media. The latter half of this article summarizes various approaches to handling online self-harm content, ranging from censoring content (through Internet Service Provider (ISP) policies and governmental regulations) to providing support for those struggling with the underlying issues associated with deliberate self-harm (e.g., media literacy programs, online support groups, and grassroots social movements and campaigns). Given that censorship of such content often results in pushing it further underground, we recommend solutions that address the underlying sociocultural forces that motivate youth to engage in self-harm practices, and call for further research into these phenomena.
We begin with a brief introductory section detailing a working definition of self-harm based on the most recent published literature, outline the general prevalence and demographics, and note the correlations between self-harm practices, eating disorders, and the media. The latter half of this article summarizes various approaches to handling online self-harm content, ranging from censoring content (through Internet Service Provider (ISP) policies and governmental regulations) to providing support for those struggling with the underlying issues associated with deliberate self-harm (e.g., media literacy programs, online support groups, and grassroots social movements and campaigns). Given that censorship of such content often results in pushing it further underground, we recommend solutions that address the underlying sociocultural forces that motivate youth to engage in self-harm practices, and call for further research into these phenomena.