Category: Social media

Psychology, Social dimensions, Social media, Technology, Understanding self-injury

Self-injury slang online: building community through language

When I first discovered self-injury communities on Reddit in 2018, I was surprised by the amount of slang terms members were using and that I couldn’t understand. “Styro”, “beans”, “grippy sock jail”, anyone who isn’t part of the community would have trouble making sense of these terms. Continue reading Self-injury slang online: building community through language

Nina
Social dimensions, Social media, Technology, Understanding self-injury

The “normalizing” vs the “pathologizing” discourses

Franzén and Gottzén (2011) identify two discourses that offer a contrasting view on self-harm: the “normalizing” and the “pathologizing” discourses. They remark both discourses can be found in online communities and used simultaneously as people who self-harm often express ambivalence. The “normalizing” discourse The normalizing discourse tends to see self-harm as a legitimate coping mechanism against mental health problems. People who self-harm are described as … Continue reading The “normalizing” vs the “pathologizing” discourses

Nina