https://e-grief.rip/griefessay daily 0.75 2025-02-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552325111585-VPEOH2248SL0PR2MJSZE/wake.png A Case for E-Grieving A Short History of Death https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552181282337-8FVM5BX3RF6VCM8BD3SV/denial1.png A Case for E-Grieving Technological Determinism https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552253094279-T2ISU4AEDXTTBFHOQNTJ/graves.png A Case for E-Grieving Bots and Synthesizing Life after Death https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552316685072-B2W0IPDNIXJPH1JC5B0C/image-asset.png A Case for E-Grieving Death and Games https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552327254901-F6XGYBUX78XRNYLI5YMS/image-asset.png A Case for E-Grieving Ameliorating the Inevitable https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552327278183-DOHLGCXYLRECFIA5GYQF/404.png A Case for E-Grieving 404 Data Not Found https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552264390311-32SEWXV0EVDF91OJERFV/banner1.jpg A Case for E-Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552264411023-6K7CNIC5P4OGHMZP1D6O/banner2.jpg A Case for E-Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552264431545-VHUNM920CD1Q8CHXZEU1/banner3.jpg A Case for E-Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552264460964-PD5BPU5ED2KVJ24TWQTG/banner4.jpg A Case for E-Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552264559204-PF90KLNU1IN4G4WUBR9V/banner6.jpg A Case for E-Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552264575791-XEN7AFMF21CVEIOSU3YV/banner5.jpg A Case for E-Grieving https://e-grief.rip/bargaininggames daily 0.75 2019-03-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552322025315-FTYVZO1Y3SKJ19XZNMK8/games.png bargaining-games - Death and Games Gaming spans both on and offline modalities, and while I am mainly focusing on the connections the internet affords us, I think it worth mentioning a very similar technodeterminist view of video games- both on and offline. The through lines in those scathing condemnations of these technologies are that of helpless isolation and compulsion- of fundamentally altering how we must perceive the world after exposure. (With the internet it’s an attention span issue, with video games it’s accusations of violent behavior.) While the source of this little animated story is lost, this has been a popular narrative circling the net for several years at this point. It has a deep sadness in it, that regardless of it’s factual truth, speaks a kind of truth to many people. It radiates longing, shared experiences, an empty space, and regret- for me, it conjures images of shared time with my own family. A memento mori. https://e-grief.rip/depressioninevitable daily 0.75 2019-03-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552327493545-O7WDK4CWUFETFTORINBS/image-asset.png depression-inevitable - Ameliorating the Inevitable I mentioned a few of the larger conversations happening around death, and would like to focus on one that transcends digital space, but requires careful consideration in relation to it. You, too, will die. It is absolutely critical that the larger cultural movement around demystifying death and making space at home for big questions extends to our digital selves. Caitlin Doughty is a big name in the death scene these days, and it is with a nod to her that many people start the difficult conversation at home. She is working to build an atmosphere of death positivity- founding Order of the Good Death, which is rife with supportive messages, resources, and information- and an informative YouTube channel Ask a Mortician. While this is at least as important as getting your AFK affairs in order, it is still, unfortunately, an imperfect process, as Caroline Sinders discovered when taking it to task in 2016: https://e-grief.rip/denial-historyofdeath daily 0.75 2019-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552325016279-C25ZKWJNWAUR2UH7E99P/wake.png A Short History of Death - A (very) Short History of Death The living’s relation to the dead has changed dramatically over the last few centuries- first and foremost because we live longer now. The circumstances of your average death have shifted from the home to the hospital. What was once constant, grim, and uncompromisingly visible, became a taboo conversation topic and private familial affair. When we do not see death, our customs around it change. Once, when mourning the loss of a close family member, one was expected to wear black for an entire year. This symbol carried cultural weight. The process of dying was shared, but living longer had changed something in the culture: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552272986666-U944HCGA75HXJRNM8K8C/banner5.jpg A Short History of Death https://e-grief.rip/bargainingcommunity daily 0.75 2019-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552324519488-VULKYH78711G0VC4QYTQ/community.png bargaining-community - Community blahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blahblahblahblahblahblahblah blahblah blah https://e-grief.rip/denial-technodeterminism daily 0.75 2019-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552302521140-JL2O266GLRHEK5TMZ8LG/Screen+Shot+2019-03-11+at+6.49.17+AM.png Denial - Technodeterminism FIGURE 2 Detailed drawing of the fabulous discovery made in the inner burial chamber. (David Macaulay) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552181345475-M6NZDT5QJO9LMCBYWCZP/denial1.png Denial - Technodeterminism - Technological Determinism There are a few working definitions of this term. It describes technologies intrinsic connection to the nature of a society- some would even say that a given technology compels a certain kind of interaction- and that as people helplessly utilize these advancements the fundamental qualities of that society are changed. In Langdon Winner’s own words: The core assumption of technological determinism is that technology forms the basis of social life and that “changes in technology are the single most important basis of change in society” Source https://e-grief.rip/depressionfourohfour daily 0.75 2019-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552327560380-V1OXRETF6R2PSIEXIF8J/404.png depression-fourohfour - 404 Data Not Found The internet’s initial conception was, in an abbreviated sense, a fear-response to nuclear attack. It was to solve the problem of communicating with the president because all existing avenues for doing so were fragile and centralized. Source As far as the United States military is concerned, I believe this mission could be marked Successful. We, however, are somewhat stuck navigating the online world as consumers. Whether we realize it or not, this means putting a phenomenal amount of faith in the corporations that manage our personal data. I’ve touched on the imperfections of the platforms- the deep frustration and pain that can come from being so close yet so far from a truly empathetic digital space. While the internet was conceived to be decentralized and durable, how it has changed and how the public use it feels more fragile than ever. As of now there are a plethora of ways to share your active life with your people, but few ways to control or even advocate for what happens to that presence when you go- or what happens to the collective data when the site you put your faith in goes. https://e-grief.rip/bargainingbots daily 0.75 2019-03-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c648a148d97406f8193d16c/1552321623960-JYGUAO6OIPJLCBACF7VY/graves.png bargaining-bots - Bots and Synthesizing Life after Death This is a topic that has been explored in science fiction- perhaps you have seen the episode of Black Mirror, “Be Right Back”, in which a young and grieving woman consents to a company re-creating her deceased boyfriend. First it is a chatbot- based on every nook and cranny of his digital life- but eventually is implanted into a hyper realistic synthetic body. Black Mirror is a show that aims to explore “the dark side of technology”. Ultimately, it leaves the audience empathizing with the main character, who simply doesn’t buy into or remotely enjoy this weak shade of her loved one. While there is something obvious about the conclusion, that a culmination of text based interactions, videos, images, will never equal a whole person’s nuances and foibles and eccentricities, it is science fiction that paves the way for attainable realities. https://e-grief.rip/wip daily 1.0 2025-02-03