Following the death of a Level 100 student at the University of Education, Winneba – reported to have died by suicide after allegedly discovering that his partner had been unfaithful – there has been a surge of emotional responses and heated discussion on social media.
The young student, whose name was withheld but has since been reported on certain platforms, is said to have taken his own life by hanging a few days after the “betrayal” came to light.
The tragic incident has not only left the young man’s peers in shock but also attracted widespread attention on online platforms, where many commenters have expressed sympathy, grief and frustration over the circumstances which may have led to his death.
However, amid mourning and the serious conversations around mental health and emotional well-being, a troubling trend has surfaced.
Some kind of joke
In what appears to be an attempt at humour or to gain notoriety on social media, some users – particularly young men – have begun posting photos of themselves mimicking the student’s reputed cause of death.
These images show youths with net sponges tied around their necks, fastened to various household items, seemingly mocking suicide.
These disturbing “jokes” have sparked outrage among some users of social media, with many calling them deeply insensitive and inappropriate.
Critics argue that such actions not only disrespect the memory of the dead but highlight a growing culture of desensitisation and trivialisation of serious matters such as suicide, especially when these are filtered through the lens of social media trends.
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