Social Media Mourning: Using Grounded Theory to Explore How People Grieve on Social Networking Sites.

Publisher: Sage Publications Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 1272106 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1541-3764 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00302228 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Omega (Westport) Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2015- : Los Angeles Sage Publications
Original Publication: Westport, Conn., Greenwood Periodicals.

Grief* ; Grounded Theory* ; Social Media* ; Social Networking*; Humans ; Interviews as Topic

This article uses grounded theory methodology to analyze in-depth interviews conducted with mourners who used social networking sites during bereavement. The social media mourning (SMM) model outlines how social networking sites are used to grieve using one or more of the following: (a) one-way communication, (b) two-way communication, and (c) immortality communication. The model indicates causal conditions of SMM: (a) sharing information with family or friends and (sometimes) beginning a dialog, (b) discussing death with others mourning, (c) discussing death with a broader mourning community, and (d) commemorating and continuing connection to the deceased. The article includes actions and consequences associated with SMM and suggests several ways in which SMM changes or influences the bereavement process.

Keywords: after-death communication; communication; grief; immortality; mourning; social media

Date Created: 20170525 Date Completed: 20200122 Latest Revision: 20200122

20240513

10.1177/0030222817709691

28537486