Table 2.

Classification of participants’ behaviors towards the original message

Behaviors	Participant type	Translated examples
Offering care and showing empathy	Active audience	Case 1: “I hope this stranger is just unable to get over only for a while. Please think about your family and your friends. How miserable they will be if you committed suicide”. “Suicide is an irresponsible way to yourself and the people who love you”.
	Peers
Searching useful information, calling for information and help	Active audience	Case 1: “His IP and telephone show that he is in Yulin. Call the police now.”
	Peers, police	Case 4: “Anyone in Chengdu happens to know the suicide broadcaster? Call the police immediately!”; “The policeman called me again but I really don’t know the situation.”
Making cynical or indifferent comments, “like” and incitement	Active audience	Case 3: “She must do this (referring to the suicidal behaviors on Weibo) for fame”, “God knows?!”
		Case 5: “Why are you (referring to the suicide broadcaster) still alive?”
		Case 6: “This person deserves to die.”
Expressing shocked feelings	Active audience	Case 1: “Horrible! I could not fall asleep tonight.”
On-site rescue actions	Peers, Parents, Police	All the 6 cases: Rush to the suicidal location for rescue