Purpose

Past literature offered competing predictions of the effect of broadband Internet on suicide. The Internet facilitates suicide by providing suicide-related information and ruining mental health. In contrast, Internet prevents suicide by offering social interaction and online mental treatment. This study aims to solve this tension by empirically examining the effect of broadband Internet on suicide with large-scale panel set.

Design/methodology/approach

This study takes instrument approach with the US county-level panel set for the period 2013–17. This study uses the number of household broadband Internet subscriptions as the measure of broadband and leverages the number of telecommunication carriers as an instrument to address concern for endogenous relationship.

Findings

There exists a positive and significant association between broadband Internet adoption and suicide on average. This study provides empirical evidence that this association is attributable to the Internet's role in leading to a general decline in the mental well-being and in providing suicide-relevant information. This association is more evident in areas with high poverty and low social capital.

Originality/value

This study contributes to literatures that address the dark side of information systems in general and that address how Internet adoption can influence public health and well-being in particular. Results of underlying mechanisms why Internet affects suicide, and heterogeneous effect of Internet by poverty and social capital provide insight for governments to enact proactive regulations to address continuing rise of suicide.

中文翻译：

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数字自我伤害：宽带采用对自杀影响的实证分析

目的

过去的文献对宽带互联网对自杀的影响提供了相互竞争的预测。互联网通过提供与自杀相关的信息和破坏心理健康来促进自杀。相比之下，互联网通过提供社交互动和在线心理治疗来防止自杀。本研究旨在通过大规模面板集实证检验宽带互联网对自杀的影响来解决这种紧张关系。

设计/方法/方法

本研究对 2013-17 年期间的美国县级小组采用工具方法。本研究使用家庭宽带互联网订阅数量作为衡量宽带的指标，并利用电信运营商的数量作为解决内生关系问题的工具。

发现

平均而言，宽带互联网采用与自杀之间存在积极且显着的关联。这项研究提供的经验证据表明，这种关联可归因于互联网在导致心理健康普遍下降和提供与自杀相关的信息方面的作用。这种关联在高贫困和低社会资本的地区更为明显。

原创性/价值

这项研究有助于解决一般信息系统的阴暗面以及解决互联网采用如何影响公共健康和福祉的文献。互联网影响自杀的潜在机制结果以及贫困和社会资本对互联网的异质影响为政府制定积极的法规以应对持续上升的自杀提供了见解。