The growing adoption of social media affects even the way we deal with death, asserts an article in the NY Times.
The article examines how a generation, raised online, has defined rituals of mourning for themselves, staking out places on the Internet to build community around grief and loss. These sites serve not just to build community, but to answer questions that haven’t really been asked before.
One such place is the website Modern Loss:
Modern Loss is a repository of essays, resources and advice that the founders try to edit so that it doesn’t sound glib, overly religious or trite. For instance, you’ll never hear, “At least they are in a better place.” (“Our least favorite line ever,” Ms. Soffer said.) The website also examines decidedly 21st century topics like what to do when Gmail keeps suggesting someone who has died as a contact, a topic that Esther D. Kustanowitz, the founder of the blog My Urban Kvetch, explored in a post called “Deleting My Mother.” Befitting the target audience, it is not overly earnest. “Stay tuned for upcoming Modern Loss events in real life,” the site’s “about us” page says. “Because misery loves company, and nachos. And margaritas.”
The whole article is here.
How have you seen mourning change, or have you?