Hmm, I expected more from this story based on the headline. I thought they might narrate a real-world experience where someone called one of these suicide lines and recounted their experience. But then, unless they were able to find and interview people willing to talk about their experiences calling these lines that might be considered exploitative, since such a person making such a call would be doing it for journalistic purposes and not for legitimate reasons. I’ve been thinking about these counseling hotlines for a few weeks now, since becoming aware that smart city kiosks make access to them so much more difficult than from the old payphones. Call quality on the kiosks is garbage to begin with, forcing callers to scream into the kiosk such that whatever you say can be heard by anybody in the area. Now there’s a conversation most people do not need to hear both sides of. But it’s not just that your emotional outpouring will be heard far and wide. It turns out that if you need this kind of support you’re going to have to make it snappy, because calls from smart city kiosks frequently get cut off after a few minutes.
Close-up shot of woman hands with smartphone in the city at night. Technology, winter and holiday concept
Source: What happens when you call the suicide prevention hotline
