The Expression of Death on Social Media: From Parasocial Grief to The Monetistation of Digital Mourning

Thank you to BRITA for supporting the podcast, helping us keep our deep dives going, and, of course, keeping us hydrated! Check out BRITA here: ⁠https://www.brita.com.au/turnonthetasteIn this episode, I explore  the evolution and ethics of death and dying on social media– from how our online experiences shape parasocial grief to the responsibilities that platforms hold when a user– whether famous or not– dies with a complex (and sometimes profitable) digital footprint. This episode also includes interviews with two grief experts, Candice Mace from Griefline and Michelle Moriarity of Grief Connect.00:38 Intro3:34 How grief has evolved: Grief on social media5:32 Liam Payne7:38 TaliaJoy189:19 Is parasocial grief real? Interview with Candice Mace from Griefline25:00 Expressing grief online: From the post-death spike to creating community27:52 Grief-policing in fandoms31:41 The power of social media connection in coping with grief: Interview with Michelle Moriarty from Grief Connect56:27 The grief economy & social media platforms57:39 What happens to our digital footprint and data when we die?1:00:00 ConclusionFind our podcast YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC18HclY7Tt5-1e3Z-MEP7Jg Subscribe to our weekly Substack: https://centennialworld.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinitescrollpodcast/ Follow Lauren on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmeisner_/ Sources:https://edm.com/news/avicii-post-death-follower-spike-larger-trend https://researchdiscovery.drexel.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Celebrity-ghosts-in-the-machine-Mourning/991014632244204721 https://cmci.colorado.edu/idlab/assets/bibliography/pdf/Gach2017.pdf  https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/health/a30766025/celebrity-deaths/ https://archive.junkee.com/from-grief-police-to-tragedy-hipsters-the-seven-most-unhelpful-arguments-that-took-over-the-media-after-the-paris-attacks/69619 https://theconversation.com/liam-payne-the-death-of-a-favourite-celebrity-can-be-painful-but-collective-grief-can-help-242039 https://shityoushouldcareabout.substack.com/p/how-to-grieve-liam-payne https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/grieving-death-liam-payne/104461152https://www.reddit.com/r/GriefSupport/comments/1g5ykuw/anyone_else_struggling_with_liam_paynes_death/ https://www.instagram.com/p/b7E-mfMgBt/  https://help.instagram.com/231764660354188?helpref=faq_content  https://www.facebook.com/help/103897939701143/?ref=u2u  https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/contact-x-about-a-deceased-family-members-account  https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/10/what-happens-to-your-data-when-you-diehttps://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/the-government-would-like-you-to-write-a-social-media-will/256700/