A while back I wrote an article
for Poynter Online suggesting the need for a new model for obituaries.
I suggested that the old way of handling obits by newspapers is in sore
need of a complete revision, reflecting the Internet’s role today. I
also discussed how online services increasingly are being used by
survivors to post obituaries and memorials for lost loved ones.
So, I found this new development to be fascinating: As reported by Webpronews.com, some young people who are MySpace
aficionados are using the youth- and music-oriented social-networking
site for obituaries and memorials to their MySpace friends.
Jason Lee Miller writes, “The sites of the MySpace deceased have
become a way for loved ones to commune with them days, weeks, or months
after their deaths. Scores of friends and family visit these sites to
express their love, how much they miss them, and to update them on
what’s happening back on Earth.”
Here are a couple examples of MySpace profiles-turned-obituaries/memorials.
MySpace, et al: the obituaries for a new generation.
Thanks to Chris Willis of We Media fame for pointing me to this.
