The Public Face of Grief: Parental Bereavement and Social Media

Abstract

The expression of grief in social media is a complex and multi-layered issue that is ever present in our lives, especially with the increase in social media engagement. In this study, we interviewed 10 bereaved parents around their experiences of social media as vehicle to express their grief following the death of a child. We also interviewed 10 people who posted on sites offering bereavement support and examined multiple social media sites dedicated to grief and loss of a child. Guided by Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics, we developed several interpretations of this complex and complicated relationship of grief and social media. In this paper, we discuss some of our findings around interpretations of relevant emotion, honoring the deceased, and seeking orientation in a changed world. Advice from bereaved parents is offered to others with similar losses and to those posting on bereavement sites. In the end, we are faced with the interpretation that this relationship of social media and grief is many things, but it is never “neutral.” Keywords: Grief, social media, hermeneutics, Gadamer