In a moment that probably surprised nobody, Kanye West has made headlines again. About a week before his recent outlandish Saturday Night Live performance, West published a series of tweets and Instagram posts arguing that social media websites need to get rid of their public-facing follower and like counts. However, a key part of his argument that went overlooked by many was his statement: “there are people committing suicide due to not getting enough likes.” Despite suicide being responsible for the deaths of a staggering 800,000 people worldwide each year, West is yet another voice in our culture’s dangerously reductionist and misleading narrative on suicide.

I’m going to level with you: I know it’s easy for journalists to attack West’s statements in pursuit of catchy headlines. That being said, the lack of backlash he faced for using a fleeting reference to a complex and serious problem says a lot about the way we as a society view suicide. 

Some brilliant advocacy has already been undertaken which aims to change this discourse. For example, last month for World Suicide Prevention Day, over 130 people in the British media industry signed an open letter to promote more responsible reporting on suicide. The letter begins by highlighting the level of responsibility that media professionals should take when discussing the subject. 

Through a number of evidenced risks that their practice may pose, the letter states that it was written so that media professionals would “portray suicide in ways which reflect our modern understanding of this phenomenon.” There is clearly a huge issue with the way that the media discusses suicide, but it’s not just the industry professionals who should be held accountable. Public figures, like Kanye West, have the ability to influence others without a formal media platform. They can just as easily make damaging statements.

So, what is it about West’s statement that is so bad? For one, it’s not really true. Yes, there is some evidence which suggests that smartphone and social media usage has a negative effect on mental health, particularly on young adults. This can be worrying and is undoubtedly worth further discussion. However, poor mental health and suicide are not the same thing. Moreover, expert consensus is still that suicide is generally not caused by a single factor. 

Portraying suicide as having one key cause has the danger of perpetuating the harmful message that there is no alternative. Samaritans, a U.K.-based charity that offers a suicide telephone hotline, reports that over-simplification of the causes for a suicide “can be misleading and is unlikely to reflect accurately the complexity of suicide. […] It is important not to brush over the complex realities of suicide and its devastating impact on those left behind.” 

In an age where we continuously have to fight against misinformation in our social media feeds, we need to strive for a more productive discussion around suicide. Whether that starts with better policies in the media or criticising a rapper’s ill-advised tweets, it needs to change soon.

If you are affected by the issues in this article, please call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free number, 1-800-273-TALK (273-8255) or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.  

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them. 

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Oct. 1 print edition.

Email Natasha Jokic at [email protected]