For my parallel essay, I plan to compare the use of Facebook and other social-networking sites to express condolences to the deceased and their loved-ones. In the past two months, I have lost two close relatives who both had Facebook profiles. First, my great-aunt died about two months ago after a two-year battle with cancer. After she died, everyone she knew (which was a lot of people) started posting messages to her as though they were having a final conversation with her. I think many of the posts were from people who had made it to the funeral, but I know there were a few who couldn’t make it for whatever reason, and they used Facebook as a means to say goodbye and share their memories of my aunt with each other. Then, my cousin died last week, quite suddenly, and as soon as people heard, they began posting on his Facebook page. Messages were being posted to him as well as his family and friends. It seems to me that people were using Facebook to connect with other people who loved my cousin so they could share the good memories they had of him. One of his school-friends made a Facebook page to honor his memory. I think all of this parallels the behavior of people at funerals, where people talk with each other and share the memories they have of the deceased. They offer condolences to the family as well as to each other, and try to get some closure by saying goodbye to the deceased. Even if a friend or family member can’t make it to a funeral, they usually send a card and flowers to the family, much like sending messages to the family via Facebook. There are differences between the two, however. The contact and bonding with people is limited over a media like Facebook, and many people need the closure of being in the presence of the deceased to say their final goodbyes.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Brainstorming for Parallel Essay
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I feel sorry about the funerals. It's a good way to express the feeling of us on website. Sometimes I feel awkward when I talk with people face to face,especially talks with someone I'm not familiar with. I always forget what I planed to say and feel regret. I prefer to express myself by email and text message. I can say anything I want to talk about on line. Sometimes we feel difficult to share the good memories with strangers. This is much easier by using Facebook. Also,the messages posted on website can last for a long time. Everyone can see them and make comments. It's a good place for communication. Usually, there are 5 to 10 people in a conversation. But it's impossible for everyone to join in the conversation. The situation is different on Facebook. We post the comment and the comment become a part of the conversation. (ENGL 106)
ReplyDeleteYour post actually made me very happy. I always wondered what happened with ones facebook accounts once they passed away. Your blog post partly answered my question. I guess its left open for the dead person’s family and friends to share their last few words with him and then when the inflow of messages stops, the facebook page is de-activated. However, I personally never had anyone from my friends list pass away so, thankfully, I haven’t had the experience of writing on a dead person’s “wall”. But then again, I feel like facebook is making us less caring as the days go by. A few decades ago, the death of a person was a big deal. Everyone who knew the person came to the funeral whether they liked him or disliked him. But in today’s world, we are all far too busy and find it hard to get some time out in order to remember someone who is no longer with us. ENGL 106
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