Selfies in Cemeteries: A New Norm?

When Taya Dunn Johnson’s husband suddenly passed away, she asked people at the memorial services to stow away their electronics.  However, days later she noticed several people had “checked-in” on social media from the funeral home.  In response Johnson said, “We share everything from our new car to our meal to our new dress.  Somehow those things have become interchangeable with death.”

Walker Posey, a funeral director in South Carolina, said that while technology may have a place in the mourning process, selfies in cemeteries are not among them.  Mr. Posey’s funeral home includes etiquette suggestions on its website, indicating that social media and technology should not be used to violate a family’s privacy. 

Despite the nuisances technology can bring to funerals, it can also be very valuable.  Mr. Posey’s funeral home, as well as others across the country, offers livestreams of funerals as a way for loved ones to be connected.  “Social media does have its place in reaching out for support.”

See Associated Press, Photos of Caskets and ‘Checking In’ at Funeral Homes: How Social Media Is The Final Frontier of Mourning, Daily Mail, May 7, 2015.