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What Happens to My Instagram Account After I Die? Re-imagining Social Media as a Commemorative Space for Remembrance and Recovery

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Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021 (INTERACT 2021)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 12933))

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Abstract

This research explores the relationship between social media and mortality, focusing on social media as a thanatosensitive technology that promotes death preparation and commemoration. Employing concepts from the Value-Sensitive Design approach, our research identifies three main stakeholders surrounding the online commemoration experience. As an exploratory study, we conducted in-depth interviews and observations (n = 9) to better understand key stakeholders’ experiences in online and offline commemorations. After analyzing the qualitative data, we extracted design requirements that were used to create a conceptual commemorative system and a functioning prototype. An informal user testing (n = 6) yielded positive feedbacks on the new system for it offers the unique opportunity to reflect existence, prepare for death, and create a community of commemoration that helps memorialize the deceased and recover from grief. The study suggests that commemoration via social media aids in maintaining user volition, induces active and interactive participation, and allows for a continuation of the digital legacy. Such findings may help deepen the understanding of humans’ perception of death and commemoration within the context of social media.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Soonho Kwon, Eunsol Choi, Minseok Kim, Sunah Hwang, Dongwoo Kim & Younah Kang

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  1. Soonho Kwon
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  2. Eunsol Choi
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  3. Minseok Kim
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  4. Sunah Hwang
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  5. Dongwoo Kim
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  6. Younah Kang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Younah Kang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Carmelo Ardito

  2. Computer Science Department, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

    Rosa Lanzilotti

  3. Computer Science Department, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Alessio Malizia

  4. Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK

    Helen Petrie

  5. Computer Science Department, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

    Antonio Piccinno

  6. Computer Science Department, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

    Giuseppe Desolda

  7. Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA, USA

    Kori Inkpen

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Kwon, S., Choi, E., Kim, M., Hwang, S., Kim, D., Kang, Y. (2021). What Happens to My Instagram Account After I Die? Re-imagining Social Media as a Commemorative Space for Remembrance and Recovery. In: Ardito, C., et al. Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021. INTERACT 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12933. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85616-8_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85616-8_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85616-8

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