Stephanie’s presentation will look at the emotional impact of the loss, or potential loss, of deleting someone who has died from social media. Most people now have online lives and online friends or family, but what happens when these friends or family die? For some, this is a way of remembering someone who has died and can be helpful in feeling that connection when it may be the only one. For others, the memory or reminders may be too painful. There have been some cases where conversations or photos have been lost due to the platform removing them, causing upset to those left behind. There is also digital “death tourism”, such as seeking out the social media of celebrities or mutual friends that have died. Whereas people don’t know these people directly, they feel it is a way of showing respect or having that connection in a community and understanding of what may have happened.

These “digital graveyards” are set to increase over the years and so it is important that we understand how this may look and what impact it can have on people.

The aim of this presentation is not only to encourage people to think about whether they would delete someone from their social media in the event of their death or whether they would keep the memory, but to get them to think about what they want to happen to their own social media after their death.

About Stephanie Owens

Stephanie Owens is passionate about social change and all things death and dying, having worked in the end of life sector for several years. Her specialist interests include acceptance and understanding of neurodivergent grief and attitudes towards death, and grieving for animals. She is currently a volunteer for Project Eileen which helps young people cope with death and provides resources to schools on death and bereavement.

Recent News

• Digital Death Survey – Launches today
• Digital Legacy Conference 2024 – Full Agenda
• First wave of speaker announcements
• Digital Legacy Association appointed as an ‘Observer’ for the European Law Institute – Digital Assets Project
• Speaker & abstract announcement: Stephanie Owens

Stephanie Owens, Cochrane and Dying Matters

The death of a pet is often the first experience many of us will have. Many people feel that the death of a pet or animal and the subsequent grief will be seen as less valid due to the fact that it is not a person, but they are often seen as part of the family, and they are – in some cases – a valuable companion for those who live alone.

Seeing a pet or animal die through a digital medium has been around for quite some time. The tamagotchi in the 90s for example, allowed children to care for a digital pet that eventually “died”, therefore teaching children about grief. In fact, in some places there are even graveyards and memorials for tamagotchis. Similarly, there have been simulations in video games where animals die, Instagram famous animals that die and are mourned by their fans, and other social media outlets for people to share the loss and love of a beloved pet. An example of this was during the 2019 Dying Matters campaign where the dedicated day to pet loss was the most popular day, with hundreds of people submitting photos and memories of beloved animals who had died.

This seminar will look at how grieving for a pet is valid and how social media and digital platforms can help people understand this and provide a safe space for people to share their experiences of loss.

Speaker Bio

Stephanie Owens is passionate about all things death and dying and has worked on six Dying Matters Awareness Week campaigns, providing information and support for people who are bereaved and who are at the end of their lives. She has been instrumental in it’s success and implemented the themed days during Dying Matters Awareness Week in 2017 and it has run ever since. She oversaw the pet grief day in 2019 and saw the real need for more understanding and discussion around this topic. She currently works in community support for Cochrane and is an independent researcher into end of life issues and grief in neurodivergent people.

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