Last week South Africa bid farewell to one of its most celebrated young musical talents in recent years, Rikhado ‘Riky Rick’ Makhado. The cause of his death is speculated to have stemmed from an ongoing battle with long-term depression that led him to commit suicide. His family neither confirmed this nor denied it in their official statement following the news of his untimely departure. He will be sorely missed by all, and leaves us with a mystery to solve regarding a possible intersection between social media and suicidal ideation.
It all seems to have started on Valentine's day with a seemingly harmless video that the rapper posted on Instagram of him and his wife Bianca Naidoo dancing along to 'Sondela', a recently released song by Dj Venom and Shishiliza featuring the rapper.
The video instantly went viral and was branded as "uncomfortable" and "awkward" by mainstream media publications and critics alike because of his wife's supposed apathy. Feeling pressured to calm the storm, the rapper indirectly responded to the backlash in the comment section stating that she is camera shy, but some have suggested that this scrutiny and supposed cyber harassment is what may have actually triggered his depression.
A little over a week later Rikhado Makhado passed on. At his funeral, last week Tuesday on the 1st of March, his adoptive father Kumi Naidoo, referred to the cyber harassment stating that Rikhado had told him that he wanted to "simplify his life" but got attacked for doing so on social media.
The pain followed him right up to his last breath. An unidentified source leaked the alleged suicide notes that he penned to his loved ones which made further mention of his suffering;
Addressing his wife, he wrote:
“Dear Bianca, this pain is too much. I don’t want you to blame yourself for my life being unbearable. This was the greatest period of my life. You gave me more love than I deserved. Please do not blame yourself. Live your life. Don’t hide the light you gave me every day.”
He then went further to explain his heart-rending decision as he apologised to his wife.
“I’m sorry for being the one who gives up but the pain I feel is too much to deal with. The voices in my head have never gone away. I wish I was stronger but I’m not. Please forgive me. I love you so much. Be Happy. Smile. Everything is okay now,”
He also penned one to his daughter Jordan saying;
“Jordan, the best thing that ever happened in my life. You taught me so much about life. Thank you for being so good to me. Thank you for being such an inspiration to me. I love you. I’m sorry. Keep each other close. Love each other. Please don’t blame yourself. I cannot take the pain. I love you,”
In addition to the rapper's battle with depression and anxiety he also struggled with addiction and was vocal about these issues on several occasions in the media stating that;
"...suicidal thoughts is nothing new to me ... I can give testament to knowing what suicidal thoughts are, I know what trying to go through with suicidal thoughts is, I know how to take it further, I've been to that dark place..."
These sentiments were also deeply resonant in the rapper's lyrics as evidenced in one of his last songs 'Home';
"SIX MILLION WAYS TO DIE, CHOOSE ONE!
This land is still, my home ...
uh, ALL THIS PRESSURE GON'BE THE DEATH OF ME
Fake love killin' my energy,
I been thinkin' about the memories,
Pour some liquor for all my dead homies,
R.I.P I'LL SEE YOU THERE HOMIES
I PRAY I MEET YOU AT THE CROSS ROAD
SOONER OR LATER ONLY GOD KNOWS ...
But i'll return a stronger man,
I'll return to me my homeland,
No grave shall hold my body down,
This land is still my home ...
These lyrics also just happen to be the content of his last tweet.
It's clear that the voices on social media weighed heavily on Rikhado and may have amplified the ones in his head that led him to that dark place of no return. Herein lies the danger with social media - while it may appear innocuous at surface level, it can also be detrimental to our mental well-being because of its ability to trigger our insecurities and lower our self-esteem or sense of self. The worst possible reaction to these triggers is undoubtedly SUICIDE!
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) reports that there are 23 KNOWN CASES OF SUICIDE IN SOUTH AFRICA EVERY DAY! Add to that, for every person that commits suicide, 10 have attempted it. Before the pandemic, SADAG handled about 600 calls per day - as of September 2021 that number had risen to 2,200 calls per day. These numbers shouldn't come as a surprise seeing that we live in the most unequal society in the world. South Africans are subject to a lot of pressure and stress due to the socio-economic challenges that the country is facing. Research conducted by the University of Cape Town (UCT) has shown that "isolation, uncertainty, economic strain, bereavement, and loss resulted in heightened anxiety for young South Africans during the pandemic". This prevalence of suicide in our communities has its roots in the mental health crisis that we are facing as a society. 70% of people who attempt suicide have a mental health illness.
Warning signs:
Remember, 8/10 people considering suicide give some sign of their intentions. People who talk about suicide, threaten suicide, or call suicide centres are 30 times more likely than average to kill themselves. Any one of these signs does not necessarily mean the person is considering suicide, but several of these symptoms may signal a need for help;
Verbal suicide threats such as, “You’d be better off without me.” or “Maybe I won’t be around”
Expressions of hopelessness and helplessness
Previous suicide attempts
Daring or risk-taking behaviour
Personality changes
Depression
Giving away prized possessions
Lack of interest in future plans
So can social media cause suicide? The answer is NO! Not enough research has been conducted on this topic to provide a conclusive answer. That being said, public health professionals have warned of social media usage that can lead to suicide risks.
"There are several specific ways that social media can increase risk of prosuicide behaviour. Cyberbullying and cyber harassment, for example, are serious and prevalent problems" (Luxton, June, and Fairall, 2012). "Although cyberbullying cannot be identified as a sole predictor of suicide in adolescents and young adults, it can increase risk of suicide by amplifying feelings of isolation, instability, and hopelessness for those with preexisting emotional, psychological, or environmental stressors" (Luxton, June, and Fairall, 2012). Despite there being no link between social networking sites and suicidal ideation, additional analysis has revealed a connection between suicidal ideation and suicide-related content found on online forums" (Luxton, June and Fairall, 2012). Evidence is growing that social media can influence prosuicide behaviour but at this point, it would be too deterministic to say that, in and of itself social media can lead to suicide.
Towards better self-diagnosis:
3.1 billion people use social media around the world. 210 million of those people suffer from social media addiction. People that spend more than 5 hours on social media show strong depressive symptoms.
Social media is just as addictive as drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Younger generations born in the smartphone era are slowly moving towards the addictive stage. This type of addiction is formally referred to as "behavioural addiction". Researchers worldwide have developed various psychometric scales to assess social media addiction such as the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) for assessing at-risk social media addiction on the Internet.
7 clear signs of social media addiction;
You feel anxious and disturbed when you cannot access social media for some time. This is a sign of dependency and craving for an addictive habit.
Social media usage is taking up most of your time.
You have a deep urge to check your phone whenever you hear a notification sound.
You constantly feel the need to check for your number of 'likes,'.
Social media is the first and last thing you engage with during your day.
If you measure life events by how upload-worthy they are, you miss living in the moment and concentrate more on capturing content for social media.
Finally, if your family feels you are distant these days, they miss spending time with you. Then you should check in for a social media addiction test.
The BSMAS is a short survey used in psychological research that has been widely accepted by the psychology community. It's straightforward and short, with an accurate social media addiction assessment that consists of 6 queries measured against a 5 point Likert scale, 1 for “very rarely” to 5 for “very often”. Scores are then added to get the overall score of the BSMAS.
Call To Action:
So what can you do to help alleviate this crisis? You can support the call to Create a Riky Rick Mental Health Fund
Final words:
A 2018 study found that teens who spend 5 hours per day using their phones were almost twice as likely to exhibit depressive symptoms than counterparts who dedicated only 1 hour to their phones. Increased addiction is causal to mental health issues like depression and other mental disorders. Being aware of what we are going through seriously helps in maintaining a good life and inner harmony.
Similar to Rikhado's son Maik, I also lost my father at a very young age way before adolescence, and intimately know the pain of growing up without a dad. I have been healing from this trauma all my life and so desperately wish that I could bring him back because just like Rikhado who also lost his father in 2005 when he was only 19 I sometimes feel so lost in this world without him. The pain never goes away but the warm memories of his love and the belief that he is still with me in the ancestral realm are what comforts me when it gets too heavy. Maik I pray that you will be stronger than your father and never let depression get the better of you when you come of age - life will only get harder without him, but his legacy and spirit live on so paradoxically he will also always be with you.
Rest In Peace KING! Return If Possible!
P.s
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group can be contacted on 0800 121 314, or send an SMS to 32312 and a counsellor will call you back.
Bibliography:
(Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale | BlockSurvey, n.d.)
Your Bibliography: blocksurvey.io. n.d. Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale | BlockSurvey. [online] Available at: <https://blocksurvey.io/calculator/bergen-social-media-addiction-scale> [Accessed 8 March 2022].
Luxton, D., June, J. and Fairall, J., 2012. Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective. American Journal of Public Health, 102.
Motsoari, C., 2021. Suicide crisis soars in South Africa. [online] The Mail & Guardian. Available at: <https://mg.co.za/opinion/2021-10-05-suicide-crisis-soars-in-south-africa/> [Accessed 8 March 2022].
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