The Netflix series 13 Reasons Why explores the suicide of a fictional teen, the reasons and actions that led to her death and the impact suicide have had on the people close to her. The season finale culminates in a graphic 3-minute scene depicting the teen’s suicide. The series has generated widespread global interest, with a huge debate around its public health implications and the possible “glamorisation” of the victim and the consequences of her suicide in ways that could potentially promote suicide ideation.
A study conducted by the Journal Of American Medical Association* used Google Trends to investigate the impact the television show had on Google search volumes within America. The study found that when it came to American search behaviour, 13 Reasons Why elevated “suicide awareness”, however, it also unintentionally increased searches relating to "suicide ideation”.
Building on this great research, I wanted to investigate how it affected Australian searches and if I was able to go deeper than just Google Trends. Click on the infographic below to learn more.
