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In 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 Intro

3:34 How grief has evolved: Grief on social media

5:32 Liam Payne

7:38 TaliaJoy18

9:19 Is parasocial grief real? Interview with Candice Mace from Griefline

25:00 Expressing grief online: From the post-death spike to creating community

27:52 Grief-policing in fandoms

31:41 The power of social media connection in coping with grief: Interview with Michelle Moriarty from Grief Connect

56:27 The grief economy & social media platforms

57:39 What happens to our digital footprint and data when we die?

1:00:00 Conclusion

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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/104461152

https://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-die

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/the-government-would-like-you-to-write-a-social-media-will/256700/