The New York Times published a story about this phenomenon. The article talks about how some MySpace accounts continue on even after the person dies. That's because friends and family keep it alive by posting sympathy comments:
Like many other 23-year-olds, Deborah Lee Walker loved the beach, discovering bands, making new friends and keeping up with old ones, often through the social networking site MySpace.com, where she listed her heroes as "my family, and anyone serving in the military - thank you!"More and more people are living part of their lives on online. It's only natural that the online world becomes a new place to channel emotions. Naturally grief will be a big part of that.
So only hours after she died in an automobile accident near Valdosta, Ga., early on the morning of Feb. 27, her father, John Walker, logged onto her MySpace page with the intention of alerting her many friends to the news. To his surprise, there were already 20 to 30 comments on the page lamenting his daughter's death. Eight weeks later, the comments are still coming.
MySpace isn't the only site that memorializes those who have passed - it's occurring in the blogosphere too. Recently blogger Terry Heaton sadly lost his wife. He didn't hesitate to blog about it, and many readers commented with their sympathy.
If my blog had existed when my mom and dad passed away, I would have blogged about it too. For me, it would have been easier than talking to people about it. Those in the mental health field would probably say this is unhealthy, but at least I would still be dealing with it, just in a different way. A digital way.
This trend has also become important when dealing with our four legged family members. Chron writer and blogger Alison Cook recently lost her cat. Blogger Banjo Jones his dog. And of course we were saddened last year when Edloe left us.
It's a blog post that everyone can identify with on some level.
I was honored when my mom's school dedicated a bench in her name on the campus playground. For most folks, that doesn't happen. That's why I think the online tribute is so important in today's world. This way, old friends and family anywhere in the world can see the online tribute and find out what happened.
Yet another way the Net can help us stay connected, even in unhappy times. CONTACT: Leave me a Houston or Texas media news tip | COMMENT: Click to leave your thoughts on this post here
