As depressing as this may sound, you’re probably friends with someone on Facebook who’s dead. There aren’t many millennials that haven’t witnessed the ways in which social media has transformed how we mourn death. Whether it’s scrolling through pages of wall posts filled with words of grief or changing your profile picture in honor of those who’ve passed, there’s been a certain shift in the way our society responds to death. That leads to the question of whether or not this shift is positively or negatively effecting our ability to cope after someone has died. I believe that social media is purposeful and can change lives if used correctly. I also believe that it can isolate us and make us more anti-social than anything else. But there is no denying that social media gives us the opportunity to unite after individuals and even animals have passed on.
In 2013, a classmate that I graduated with tragically passed away in a car accident. Weeks after he passed, I was still going on his Facebook page to read the posts that his friends and family left him. This Facebook profile that had once boomed with images of his life turned in to a digital memorial where “I miss you” and “I’ll never forget you” posts still fill his feed today. There is truly nothing like stalking the social media accounts of a person who’s deceased. It’s as if you’re flipping through a scrapbook of who they were and sometimes, just for a split second, you may even forget they’re dead. In a way, social media leaves us with more opportunities to remember the person who passed. My classmate’s Vines, Tweets and Instagram photos are all snippets of who he was and those who knew him can pick up their phone at anytime to relive those memories. Don't get me wrong. Mourning is still full of tears, denial and grief. But social media gives people a chance to come together as strangers and opens our eyes to how precious life is.
There are times in my life when I am blind to every blessing I have. I’ll go through my day-to-day routine and take everything I love for granted. But somehow a wake up call always comes in the form of a friend on Facebook grieving the loss of a loved one or another celebrity death trending on Twitter. These occurrences on social media act as reminders that tomorrow is never promised. I am especially reminded of this right now as I’ve watched my feed fill with the faces of 49 beautiful people who were murdered in Orlando last weekend. When mass shootings and acts of terrorism occur in today’s world, everyone has the chance to experience empathy and the pain of loss by simply signing on to their Facebook or scrolling through Twitter. Social media allows us to make a difference in the lives of those who are mourning. Nowadays, you can not only share an image to show your support, but you can invite friends to donate on GoFundMe or make a Facebook event to plan a blood drive. Social media has allowed us to turn “I’m sorry for your loss” comments in to “here is what i’ll do to help” actions. Whatever your opinion is on social media, just remember how a hashtag can unite the whole world after a tragedy.
That's pretty darn cool.
