How We Mourn in the Age of Social Media

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The loss of a loved one and the process of grief is one of the most traumatic experiences. It breaks down and pushes past the barriers of society, religion, and culture. It is one of the world’s great mysteries that are unavoidable and misunderstood. As universal as it is, grief often is experienced on a personal/individual level and the impact it takes weighs heavily on the psychological functioning of many. Distress comes not only to the person who lost something or someone, but also families, friends and communities. Everyone is affected by grief. Societies have developed a range of rituals and customs to enable grief support. The customs vary throughout cultures, religions and ethnicities. Some mourn through Funeral services (parlors) while others may bury right away and mourn Shiva in the comfort of their own homes. Some have burials, others prefer cremation. Eulogies, obituaries, biographies, there are multitudes of ways to celebrate and spread the news of the loss of a loved one and the celebration of life. There are also clinical and non-clinical forms of grief management. In recent years studies have shown that there has been a significant and fast growing addition to these historic rituals. The internet has supported new formations for the expression of grief. It provides a new found path to further share bereavement through social and occupational tools.

In the article, “The Internet: A tool to Normalize grief”; Sally Dominick and Blair Irvine explain to their readers that there has been over 60 years of research documentation that include examples of physical and cognitive reaction as well as negative and affective reactions-sadness and the experience of relief and emancipation. With all this at hand, behav...

... middle of paper ...

...ly; Sachsenweger, Mieke, Gibson Kerry, Norman, Helen (2011).

Grieving in the Internet Age: New Zealand Journal of Psychology, Volume 40 No.3

www.questia.com, internet, social networks

Goldberg, Stephanie; (2010) Grief finds connection, healing online

www.cnn.com, internet social networks

Yates, Diana (2010). Researchers analyze student grief online after campus shootings.

News Bureau University of Illinois, www.news.illinois/10/1020internet-greiving.html

Subbaraman, Nidhi (2014). An unlively chat:Skype with the dead with Eterni.me

NBC, Todays.com, techonology reports

www.today.com/tech/unlively-chat-skype-dead-eterni-me2D12024238

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