Diary - Today I read about an article about "virtual identity suicide"

[Maybo]

This is an entry from my diary. Please check it and correct any mistakes.

Today I read an article about "virtual identity suicide", which means people delete their Facebook account. I don't know why people use this kind of strong words for just deleting an account. It makes me feel like somebody is doing wrong. People who invent this phrase is exaggerating, and maybe they want to avoid the public from leaving social media.

 

[Tarheel]

Today I read an article about "virtual identity suicide," which refers to people deleting their Facebook account. I don't know why people use those words just for deleting an account. It suggests something very serious. People who use the phrase are exaggerating, and maybe they want to discourage people from leaving social media.

Well, it's not a real death, of course. It suggests a self-inflicted death as regards social media. The idea is that Facebook is so important that leaving Facebook is like killing yourself. It's an exaggeration for (slightly) humorous effect.

 

[Maybo]

Today I read an article about "virtual identity suicide," which refers to people deleting their Facebook account. I don't know why people use those words just for deleting an account. It suggests something very serious. People who use the phrase are exaggerating, and maybe they want to discourage people from leaving social media.

Well, it's not a real death, of course. It suggests a self-inflicted death as regards social media. The idea is that Facebook is so important that leaving Facebook is like killing yourself. It's an exaggeration for (slightly) humorous effect.

One day I will delete all my social media.

 

[Tarheel]

@Maybo I realize that all good things come to an end, but I hope you're not leaving UE any time soon. I enjoy our conversations.

 

[teechar]

Today I read an article about "virtual identity suicide", which means people delete their Facebook account.

Is it really just about Facebook?

this kind of strong words

That's ungrammatical. Say "such strong words".

It makes me feel sounds like somebody is committing a grievous and terrible act. doing wrong.

People who invent this phrase is exaggerating, and maybe they want to avoid the public from leaving social media.

1- That's unnatural.
2- It's ungrammatical:
a- "people ... is" is wrong.
b- "avoid" is an intransitive verb, and it is not used with "from".
Rephrase it.

 

[Maybo]

Is it really just about Facebook?

The article only mentioned Facebook.

b- "avoid" is an intransitive verb, and it is not used with "from".
Rephrase it.

People who invent this phrase are exaggerating, and maybe they want to discourage the public from leaving social media.

 

[teechar]

OK.

 

[Tarheel]

@Maybo As I already said, I think "people who use this phrase" is better. Also, they are trying to impress people with how clever they are.

 

[emsr2d2]

Today, I read an article about "virtual identity suicide", which means refers to people deleting their Facebook account. I don't know why people would use this kind of strong words such a phrase for just deleting an account. It makes me feel like somebody is doing something wrong. People The person who invented this phrase is was exaggerating; and maybe they wanted to avoid deter the public from leaving social media.

Some people live their entire lives out online, particularly on social media. If such a person deleted their social media accounts, it would be like wiping themselves off the face of the earth.
With regard to the sentence I have underlined, I appreciate that you started with "It makes me feel ...", making it clear it's your personal opinion, but it does carry with it the idea that committing any kind of suicide is "doing something wrong". That's not everyone's opinion so your sentence is rather divisive.

 

[Maybo]

Some people live their entire lives out online, particularly on social media. If such a person deleted their social media accounts, it would be like wiping themselves off the face of the earth.
With regard to the sentence I have underlined, I appreciate that you started with "It makes me feel ...", making it clear it's your personal opinion, but it does carry with it the idea that committing any kind of suicide is "doing something wrong". That's not everyone's opinion so your sentence is rather divisive.

I mean, to me, equating deleting an account to committing virtual "suicide" is exaggerating. Deleting an account is not a wrong or negative thing. Therefore, I don't like that negative association. I understand people are not talking about real suicide, just a a kind of analogy.

 

[emsr2d2]

I mean, to me, equating deleting an account to committing virtual "suicide" is exaggerating. Deleting an account is not a wrong or negative thing. Therefore, I don't like that negative association. I understand people are not talking about real suicide, just a a kind of analogy.

It's not an exaggeration. It's a simile.

 

[Tarheel]

It's both.

 

[jutfrank]

It's a metaphor, and it's not exaggeration exactly. If death is an end to one's presence in the world, then eradication of one's presence on social media makes it quite fitting.

 

[Tarheel]

It's death in the sense that you are dead on social media. Sadly, some people pretty much love their lives on social media. However, there is more to life than Facebook and Twitter. You can interact with real people.

 

[Maybo]

The point is “suicide” is a strong word to me. If I delete my account and some say it’s kind of suicide, I don’t feel happy at all. If someone opened an account for his pet and posted some photos about the pet or shared its life, and one day he deleted the account, I wouldn’t call him a murder.
The point is I don’t like the native association.
That’s just my feeling and my opinion.

 

[Tarheel]

The point is I think “suicide” is a strong word. If I delete my account and some say it’s kind of suicide, I don’t feel happy at all. If someone opened an account for his pet and posted some photos about the pet or share its life, and one day he deleted the account, I wouldn’t call him a MURDER.
The point is I don’t like the native association.
That’s just my feeling and my opinion.

I'm not sure what you mean by "native association". Certainly not all native speakers agree with that point of view.

 

[Maybo]

I'm not sure what you mean by "native association". Certainly not all native speakers agree with that point of view.

Should be “negative”.

 

[Maybo]

There are many different ways to describe “deleting an account”, such as“ end my social media life”. That’s more soften.
Actually people can also open a new account. Then, their virtual identity resurrect.
They have the right to use “suicide”. Just I don’t like it.

 

[Tarheel]

There are many different ways to describe “deleting an account”, such as“ end my social media life”. That’s more soften.
Actually people can also open a new account. Then, their virtual identity resurrect.
They have the right to use “suicide”. Just I don’t like it.

Maybe you mean there are ways to describe that that don't suggest that the person is doing something drastic.

 

[emsr2d2]

The point is “suicide” is a strong word* to me. If I deleted my social media account and someone say said it’s it was kind of like suicide, I don’t wouldn't feel happy at all. If someone opened an a social media account for his their pet and posted some photos about the pet of it or shared details of its life, and one day he they deleted the account, I wouldn’t call him them a murderer.
The point is I don’t like the negative association connotation.
That’s just my feeling and my opinion.

*"Strong word" means nothing in English.

We understand that you don't like the connotation but that doesn't change the fact that "virtual [identity] suicide" is now an accepted phrase.
Your example about the social media account for a pet is irrelevant. That pet had no say in the creation or deletion of the social media account. You seem to be trying to connect suicide and murder. They're completely different.
The whole point of the phrase, as has been pointed out several times, is that when someone who shares a huge proportion of their existence on social media deletes their accounts, it is like they've died. It was by their own hand so it's compared to suicide.
If you and your friends aren't obsessive social media users, there's really nothing for you to worry about. I think you're taking it all a bit too seriously.

Are you equally upset by the common term "career suicide" (when someone (frequently someone famous) does something so heinous/offensive that no one will ever employ them again)?