I just found out through Facebook that another one of my friends died. This is the second occurrence in the last four months.
Besides the obvious fact that I’m upset another person was taken suddenly without warning — I can’t help feeling strange about the late individual’s Facebook page being used as an online memorial.
It’s shocking to login to a time-killing social network site, and then find a family member posting your friend’s death as a status update. Is this going to become the new normal? When my time is up, will people go to my page and comment on my deceased status with an emoticon? Is Mark Zuckerberg coming up with a new setting for this trend as I’m typing this?
Friends and family are spread out around the country — and the world — more than they used to be. My generation is able to keep in touch with more people then ever before with a simple tweet, update, or blog post. Now when someone dies, we are able to grieve with everyone around the world at the same time. We don’t need to wait for the wake — we just login, post old pictures, retell memories, and comfort one another instantaneously. No longer will there be a need for a written obituary because there will be a living, evolving one online.
Maybe this will seem less eerie and impersonal to me as this becomes the new normal. But for now, I still prefer the old ways of celebrating a life.
1 comment:
This is not so strange. Two of my best friends (married) lost their oldest son recently. His facebook page has also become a memorial. I think it helps a lot of people who are facing this pain to be able to let it out in a way that is comfortable to them. They know that they are not the only ones feeling this kind of grief?! It seems like an odd sort of bonding, but that's what it is. A little wierd, yes. But if it works!!! What the Hell.
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