Navigating Grief Policing in Online Communities

This chapter examines the phenomenon of grief policing on social media, revealing how fans often judge each other's expressions of sorrow. It highlights the tension between personal grief experiences and societal expectations, while also recognizing the supportive role of online communities for those dealing with disenfranchised grief.

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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/turnonthetaste

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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