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You're describing the world in terms of "should/ought" rather than "is". Yes, it would be nice to live in a world where every person has friends who are capable
by pugio 10y ago
You're describing the world in terms of "should/ought" rather than "is". Yes, it would be nice to live in a world where every person has friends who are capable of connecting with and supporting them, but that is not the present world. The point of tech is scalability - you can implement something which can rapidly help _everyone_, especially those for whom other systems have failed.
Additionally, you're ignoring how hard it can be to adequately support a suicidal friend. Often times people want to help, but feel out of their depth and don't know how, and many people are unaware of the availability of resources such as the Crisis Text Line or Suicide Prevention hotline (which is what FB connects you with).
As for the "responsibility to connect with them", at a certain point your responsibility as a friend is to get someone professional help and intervention. Trying to keep a depressed friend afloat as a layperson is enormously taxing, and often unsuccessful. Yet people think they have a "responsibility" to keep trying, as a good friend, and can easily burn themselves out, with disastrous consequences for both themselves and their depressed friend.
I welcome any extra support technology and AI can provide, at least in terms of connecting people with the correct resources.