The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Fearon, Jordan Ciel
Language:English
Published: Antioch University / OhioLINK 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1307539596
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-antioch13075395962021-08-03T05:27:25Z The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual Fearon, Jordan Ciel Clinical Psychology Mental Health Social Psychology Technology social networking sites Facebook grief death ritual Technology plays a significant role in the socialization and development of society. One popular technology includes Facebook, a Social Networking Site (SNS). As Facebook has become a common site for reaching out to others for a sense of support and connection, it has also become a site to express grief and bereavement through the creation of Memorial Groups. Through a qualitative survey design, descriptive information regarding the impetus to create a Memorial Group as well as the desired utility was examined through the perspective of the creator. An online questionnaire consisting of open and closed-ended questions was completed by 68 individuals. Results indicate that creators of Memorial Groups are heavily invested in the technology, using the group to support the bereavement process. Thematic analysis, utilizing interpretative phenomenological analysis, identified six organic themes within the personal narratives including in memoriam, connection to others, connection to the deceased, personal mourning, and culture of technology as well as a number of concerns associated with the Memorial Group. Additionally, 98.5 % of responders would recommend the creation of a Memorial Group to others. Further, 59% of responders rated the Memorial Group as more helpful than other traditional death rituals. This study suggests that individuals who actively utilize the technology appear to identify significant personal benefit. Facebook Memorial Groups include the necessary components of traditional rituals, as well as several advantages such as accessibility and continuity, combining to create a modern death ritual that has been embraced by popular culture. The electronic version of this dissertation is freely accessible through the OhioLINK ETD center (http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/). 2011-07-06 English text Antioch University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1307539596 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1307539596 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Clinical Psychology
Mental Health
Social Psychology
Technology
social networking sites
Facebook
grief
death ritual
spellingShingle Clinical Psychology
Mental Health
Social Psychology
Technology
social networking sites
Facebook
grief
death ritual
Fearon, Jordan Ciel
The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual
author Fearon, Jordan Ciel
author_facet Fearon, Jordan Ciel
author_sort Fearon, Jordan Ciel
title The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual
title_short The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual
title_full The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual
title_fullStr The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual
title_full_unstemmed The Technology of Grief: Social Networking Sites as a Modern Death Ritual
title_sort technology of grief: social networking sites as a modern death ritual
publisher Antioch University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2011
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1307539596
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