Facebook in mourning: mediatisation of death and RIP pages as virtual shrines
In the wake of high a profile death, it is increasingly common to see mass public outpourings of grief on RIP Facebook pages. This article in New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia explores media coverage of death and its relation to public expression of grief via social media. Contemporary society is far removed from death; few die at home; hospitals and funeral homes deal with the aftermath. Death rituals are private and many mourners are socially unsupported outside the confines of home. Public expression of grief is