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Thread: Death and mourning a part of life online

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    Death and mourning a part of life online

    http://newsdurhamregion.com/opinion/article/159210

    Here are some of the things I know about a 17-year-old youth gunned down in Ajax last week: he loved language and poetry, he helped classmates with French homework, he dreamed of becoming a rapper and had a big gig this Friday in Oshawa.

    I never met Chris "Splitz" Tshilombo but I know what he looked like, what he sounded like and what his friends thought of him because it's all captured online.

    His music is on YouTube and like many much bigger artists he created a fan page for his music on Facebook. And after his death the number of people who "like" his fan page or view and comment on his videos keeps growing. Commenters have dubbed him one of the best young rappers in Durham and they mourn his death with daily messages.

    This kind of public outpouring of grief is nothing new in the world of social media, for a whole generation of people the natural instinct after someone passes is to visit their Facebook page and leave a message.

    These pages become impromptu memorials where people share their sadness. In some cases, people even send their loved ones private messages and e-mails, despite knowing that they'll never get a response.

    As it stands Facebook does not delete profiles of members who have died and so for now they remain a snapshot of lives frozen in time, never to be updated. In some cases, profiles will see a flurry of comments each year on the anniversary of a person's death.

    In fact, four years ago, a blog called mydeathspace.com launched specifically to link public deaths to social media profiles. Initially, the blog connected mainly MySpace pages to news articles detailing murders and accidents. The victims were generally young, in their late teens and 20s. The site occasionally included suicides, cancer victims and drug overdoses.

    The site now links to Facebook pages as well and includes celebrity deaths. It's also become more interactive with readers posting their own links in the forums.

    It's all somewhat macabre, but it represents the very real curiosity the public has about death and dying. If pressed, I think many people will admit to searching Facebook when they hear about headline-making deaths.


    Facebook's ubiquitous 'Rest-in-Peace' groups often garner hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of members when the death is public, particularly if it involves a child. Examples include the death of Tori Stafford in Woodstock and Keagan Davis, the toddler found dead in January in Oshawa. Keagan's RIP group has more than 5,000 members.

    In many cases the members of the group have a tenuous connection with the victims; perhaps they know a relative, or they're complete strangers who would normally have no other place to express public sympathy.

    In the case of Chris Tshilombo, a dozen bouquets and a handful of notes were left in the parking lot of St. Nedela's church where he died. Those tokens are far outnumbered by the notes and photos posted online.

    Ultimately, these days we share our lives online and it seems our loved ones will share our deaths there as well.
    beli : Cunt fingers. Just like butterfingers, only cuntier.

  2. #2
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    Re: Death and mourning a part of life online

    They say macabre like it's a bad thing

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    Re: Death and mourning a part of life online

    the benefits of the internet are that you are online and your information is out there and you do make friends but that is also the bad part of it all, sometimes the wrong person get your info and sometimes many many people you don't know come to your funeral  :2upset:

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    Re: Death and mourning a part of life online

    [quote author=angryblkgirl link=topic=26625.msg1734720#msg1734720 date=1286839292]
    sometimes many many people you don't know come to your funeral  :2upset:
    [/quote]
    I'll warn the church ladies.  They'll need to make extra samwhiches.  You'all like the chicken salad or the ham?

    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

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    Re: Death and mourning a part of life online

    [quote author=puzzld link=topic=26625.msg1734742#msg1734742 date=1286840439]
    I'll warn the church ladies.  They'll need to make extra samwhiches.   You'all like the chicken salad or the ham?


    [/quote]

    I'll be too devastated to eat. And I prolly won't have any teeth either.
    Quote Originally Posted by beli View Post
    kim kardashian - made famous for having a sex tape, should die in a fire
    Quote Originally Posted by McMama View Post
    Have you ever walked into a mall, sat on God's lap, and had your picture taken?

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    Re: Death and mourning a part of life online

    [quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=26625.msg1735021#msg1735021 date=1286859321]
    I'll be too devastated to eat. And I prolly won't have any teeth either.
    [/quote]
    I understand.  Shall I put you down for coffee?  Pop? Mt. Dew, isn't it?
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

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    Senior Member deeply shaded's Avatar
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    Re: Death and mourning a part of life online

    [quote author=puzzld link=topic=26625.msg1735039#msg1735039 date=1286860780]
    I understand.  Shall I put you down for coffee?  Pop? Mt. Dew, isn't it?
    [/quote]

    Yeah, I plan to own the Pepsi company by then because of my pending lawsuit over Mt. Dew making me fat.
    Quote Originally Posted by beli View Post
    kim kardashian - made famous for having a sex tape, should die in a fire
    Quote Originally Posted by McMama View Post
    Have you ever walked into a mall, sat on God's lap, and had your picture taken?

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