Original article
Secret Society 123: Understanding the Language of Self-Harm on Instagram

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.09.015Get rights and content

Highlights

  • We searched Instagram using the Hashtag term #selfharmmm.

  • Nonsuicidal self-injury Hashtag terms were evaluated for meaning and consistency.

  • Non-suicidal self-injury Hashtag terms included #secretsociety123 and #blithe.

  • These terms were common, and meaning could be determined using triangulation.

Abstract

Purpose

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) content is present on social media and may influence adolescents. Instagram is a popular site among adolescents in which NSSI-related terms are user-generated as hashtags (words preceded by a #). These hashtags may be ambiguous and thus challenging for those outside the NSSI community to understand. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the meaning, popularity, and content advisory warnings related to ambiguous NSSI hashtags on Instagram.

Methods

This study used the search term “#selfharmmm” to identify public Instagram posts. Hashtag terms co-listed with #selfharmmm on each post were evaluated for inclusion criteria; selected hashtags were then assessed using a structured evaluation for meaning and consistency. We also investigated the total number of Instagram search hits for each hashtag at two time points and determined whether the hashtag prompted a Content Advisory warning.

Results

Our sample of 201 Instagram posts led to identification of 10 ambiguous NSSI hashtags. NSSI terms included #blithe, #cat, and #selfinjuryy. We discovered a popular image that described the broader community of NSSI and mental illness, called “#MySecretFamily.” The term #MySecretFamily had approximately 900,000 search results at Time 1 and >1.5 million at Time 2. Only one-third of the relevant hashtags generated Content Advisory warnings.

Conclusions

NSSI content is popular on Instagram and often veiled by ambiguous hashtags. Content Advisory warnings were not reliable; thus, parents and providers remain the cornerstone of prompting discussions about NSSI content on social media and providing resources for teens.

Section snippets

Methods

This study took place on the social media site Instagram (www.instagram.com). Using a commonly used NSSI hashtag of #selfharmmm as a search term, we identified a sample of content posted on Instagram between the dates of June 18, 2014 and June 30, 2014 for evaluation. From this sample, we identified and investigated a list of ambiguous hashtags that were potentially linked to NSSI. We investigated that these selected hashtags to determine meaning and consistency using a structured approach

Results

Of the 225 Instagram posts examined, 201 met inclusion criteria; saturation was determined to be reached with this sample based on repeated hashtags. There were 193 unique usernames represented in the sample of posts.

A total of 10 hashtags representing NSSI were identified (Table 1). Most NSSI hashtags were represented more than one time because of variations in spelling and spacing arrangements, examples included #selfinjury and #blithe/#ehtilb.

A single hashtag, #MySecretFamily represented a

Discussion

In this study of publicly available Instagram content linked to the hashtag “selfharmmm,” we identified ambiguous user-generated hashtags with meanings linked to NSSI and associated mental health concerns. We found frequent use of NSSI hashtags on Instagram, growth in their use over time, and limited evidence that the content advisory warning was useful in identifying NSSI terms consistently or inappropriate redirecting of content.

Our first finding was that ambiguous NSSI terms were used as

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to recognize the assistance of Kim Cowan with this article.

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    Conflict of Interest: No authors have conflicts of interest to report.

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