Social Media and its Role in Mourning Death

Radio Host, Scott Simon, stayed with his motheras she died in Chicago hospital. Millions followed Simon on Twitter when peoplebegan to realize that he was sharing his experience at the hospital. For anentire week, Simon Tweeted about everything. The Tweets have begun a discussionabout the social media’s place in mourning and if it is appropriate to makeexperiences like Simon witnessing his mothers deteriorating health public.

 Many seem to believe that because of technologyand social media the topic of death will gradually increase. How does thisaffect our lives? Death has made it back into our conversations; some attributethis to the “narcissism of the self-esteem movement.” Others believethe process is therapeutic.

Three-time cancer survivor Alicia Staley saysthat social media facilitates reoccurring and lower-stakes conversations aboutdying than traditional hospital support groups, which helps people feel likethey are not alone a feeling that inevitably accompanies a life threateningillness.

See Paul Bisceglio, How Social Media Is Changing The Way We Approach Death, The Atlantic, Aug. 20, 2013. 

Special thanks to Naomi Cahn (John Theodore Fey Research Professor of Law, George Washington University School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.