Something interesting happens on social media when someone dies. The TL (timeline) becomes a sort of competition on who can share the most personal memories, screenshot the most texts, or post the most pictures with that person. There’s a bunch of “I can’t believe this happened. I’m praying for the family. R.I.P ____.” Posts with 25-40 likes on it. And sometimes, I even stop for a second and think about liking it…but wtf? Why would I “like” something about someone being dead? What is that doing? This is real life —someone really died.
And when you think about that: SOMEONE ACTUALLY DIED, it makes the whole idea of sharing someone’s death on social media disturbing. Why, instead of just praying for the family and giving them a call saying how sorry you are/you can’t believe it happened, are you posting it on Facebook? For the likes? I would hope not, and many people would deny it. But really and truly sit back and think about it…. why are you doing it, on a platform that is about likes, if it’s not about likes???
I do understand some situations where the immediate family (parents and siblings) decide to make a big post sharing their experience with the trauma of losing an ACTUAL REAL PERSON on social media. It’s a quick way to let people know what is going on.
But it gets more disturbing because…even underneath that post you get hundreds of comments from people saying “Keep your head up” or “I’m sorry for your lost” or worse, those longer comments with the bible scriptures and super encouraging words and it just makes you wonder: why HERE? Why NOW? Why not, go by that person’s home and say these things face to face? Why not, message that person privately and express your condolences there? Why take this post about something REAL and TRAGIC and make it about you (because that’s what you’re doing when you comment on a post, and then people turn around and like those comments. I think.).
It’s something to think about: the way death (and many other things) is handled during this age of social media age. And I would love to see a study done on the way we share things and how it affects our ability to genuinely empathize with others beyond a quick post. I would love to see a study on how many of the people who comment on or post about a death make the move to speak to the family in person or even attend the funeral. My guess is that the studies would show something that would make us all want to take a step back and change some of our social media etiquette.
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Also, rest in peace Mac Miller.