As people have been increasingly living their lives online the business of dying has been changing. There are many ways that the intersection of death and the internet can be seen that can include anything ranging from estate planning for digital assets (like a Facebook account), and passing on values and morals through an online “ethical will.” Another growing trend involves the use of online obituaries. More people are opting for the online obituary as an alternative to the traditional short and sweet obituaries that have been traditionally printed in the local newspaper. The online obituary frees people of many of the constraints that existed in traditional obituaries, allowing people to go into more detail when memorializing their deceased loved ones. There have been some circumstances where these online obituaries have gone viral and as a result providing the deceased person with fame beyond the grave.
See Morgan M. Wiener, When Your Death Goes Viral, The National Law Review, November 9, 2015.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse for bringing this article to my attention.
