MSN.ca: Can a Tweet Save a Life?

Canadian journalist Matthieu Burgard interviewed CEO Christopher Gandin Le for an MSN.ca article exploring the possibilities for suicide prevention through social networks like Twitter. (Article in French; click here to translate to English via Google Translate.)

The Daily Beast: Does Twitter Prevent Suicide?

Journalist Benjamin Popper interviewed Christopher Gandin Le for a smart and well-researched article about suicide and social media, specifically the phenomenon of Twitter suicide threats and the community response to those.

This kind of behavior is the key to understanding the power of social media, said Christopher Gandin Le, one of the country’s top thinkers on the intersection of suicide and social media. “There is a culture of sharing your feelings on sites like Facebook and Twitter that I think plays an important role in suicide prevention,” he said. “Kids today are experts on their friends, what they’re doing and how they're feeling at every moment.”

YPulse Interview: Christopher Gandin Le, Emotion Technology

YPulse, the leading authority on youth and marketing to teens, tweens, and Generation Y, published an interview today with Christopher Gandin Le, CEO of Emotion Technology, discussing social media and suicide prevention.

"Any death by suicide is tragic, let alone multiple deaths in one community. Situations like what happened in Palo Alto highlight the potential contagion effect that suicide can have when not addressed correctly. There are very specific guidelines for postvention (the steps taken after a suicide death) that can help communities move on in a healthy and safe way.

I do a lot of work with online postvention, and as of right now that just means telling parents, teens, and educators how to look out for warning signs online. All too often, I’ve seen a profile of a person that died by suicide that posted obvious (in retrospect) warning signs. Often, students will create an ‘in memory of…’ group or profile for the friend or loved one they lost to suicide. Having this online space can be a healthy way to process feelings in the community, but it also has the danger of brewing more suicidal ideation. Back to the media guidelines that I mentioned, we want to make sure not to romanticize the person’s death too much. These memorial spaces, if monitored, can give you insight on other people at risk. Look out for, and check up on, anyone who posts anything like “I miss you, I’ll see you soon.”

Austin Chronicle: Hold Your Water

Journalist Lee Nichols spotlighted Jennifer and Christopher Gandin Le's short film, "Small Changes," in the Austin Chronicle, after it won the Grand Jury Prize in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles-based Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition has presented its top jury award to Austin filmmakers Jennifer and Christopher Gandin Le for their two-minute video "Small Changes." The film offers a humorous – but sobering – look at how drastically our lives could be altered if we fail to conserve water. View the winning film and other entries at www.iuowfilm.com.

Austin Chronicle: Three Drops in Austin's Filmmaking Bucket

Austin Chronicle writer Lee Nichols mentioned Jennifer and Christopher Gandin Le for their short film, a finalist (and eventual Grand Jury Prize winner) in the Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition.

Three Austinites are finalists in the Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition, an annual contest for films that bring awareness to water conservation issues. The short films, "Small Changes" by Jennifer and Christopher Gandin Le and "Poor Mark" by David Tuck, are among six films that will be shown at the Getty Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 23. All films in the finals may be viewed at www.iuowfilm.com.