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Jordan Ciel Fearon, PsyD, is a 2011 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England.

Dissertation Committee

  • Roger Peterson, PhD ABPP (Committee Chair)
  • Barbara Belcher-Timme, Psy.D. (Committee Member)
  • William Slammon, PhD (Committee Member)

Keywords

social networking sites, Facebook, grief, death ritual

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2011

Abstract

Technology plays a significant role in the socialization and development of society. One popular technology includes Facebook, a Social Networking Site (SNS). As Facebook has become a common site for reaching out to others for a sense of support and connection, it has also become a site to express grief and bereavement through the creation of Memorial Groups. Through a qualitative survey design, descriptive information regarding the impetus to create a Memorial Group as well as the desired utility was examined through the perspective of the creator. An online questionnaire consisting of open and closed-ended questions was completed by 68 individuals. Results indicate that creators of Memorial Groups are heavily invested in the technology, using the group to support the bereavement process. Thematic analysis, utilizing interpretative phenomenological analysis, identified six organic themes within the personal narratives including in memoriam, connection to others, connection to the deceased, personal mourning, and culture of technology as well as a number of concerns associated with the Memorial Group. Additionally, 98.5 % of responders would recommend the creation of a Memorial Group to others. Further, 59% of responders rated the Memorial Group as more helpful than other traditional death rituals. This study suggests that individuals who actively utilize the technology appear to identify significant personal benefit. Facebook Memorial Groups include the necessary components of traditional rituals, as well as several advantages such as accessibility and continuity, combining to create a modern death ritual that has been embraced by popular culture. The electronic version of this dissertation is freely accessible through the OhioLINK ETD center (http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/).

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