The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Living in the shadow of suicide: the narrative of an online internet memorial site created by a survivor of bereavement by suicide - a biographical study

Living in the shadow of suicide: the narrative of an online internet memorial site created by a survivor of bereavement by suicide - a biographical study
Living in the shadow of suicide: the narrative of an online internet memorial site created by a survivor of bereavement by suicide - a biographical study
Online memorials are an Internet phenomena of the 21st century which have been identified as a growing contemporary mourning practice mediated by online computer networks. Online memorials offer a logical discursive platform for a unique form of personalised yet communal virtual memorialising which is mirroring the needs of a fractured and geographically divided society and affords twenty four hour access to all those who use the internet. Online memorials have also been identified as a virtual location where stigma, disenfranchisement and loss of voice in bereavement can be publically noted and challenged.

Current research surrounding the use of online memorials has identified that little is known about the creation and use of private memorial sites as they are problematical for researchers to access. This study aimed to address this gap in the research by exploring the creation and use of an online memorial which is both private and relating to a death by suicide which is often considered a socially stigmatised bereavement.

The study used auto/biographical research methods utilising a single case study design to explore the narratives of a naturally occurring online memorial alongside an asynchronous email interview with the memorial author. Thematic analysis of the data provided insights into the motivating factors, creation and use of this example of an online memorial. The research also offered insights into the life of the deceased and that of a survivor of bereavement by suicide and in so doing has explored the distinctions between the life lived, the life experienced and the life as told through a form of cultural memorial expression increasingly prevalent in current society.

The study also offers consideration of the potential for therapeutic benefit from creating and using online memorials as a mourning activity which could influence Occupational Therapy practice and in so doing identified areas that would benefit from greater research attention to explore further the use/therapeutic use of online memorials.
Scott, Saffron L.
fee66515-c8b4-4489-892c-4935bdd05eb9
Scott, Saffron L.
fee66515-c8b4-4489-892c-4935bdd05eb9
Erben, Michael
5c72b25b-7c00-409d-a850-1a7654be0858

Scott, Saffron L. (2012) Living in the shadow of suicide: the narrative of an online internet memorial site created by a survivor of bereavement by suicide - a biographical study. University of Southampton, Southampton School of Education, Doctoral Thesis, 177pp.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Online memorials are an Internet phenomena of the 21st century which have been identified as a growing contemporary mourning practice mediated by online computer networks. Online memorials offer a logical discursive platform for a unique form of personalised yet communal virtual memorialising which is mirroring the needs of a fractured and geographically divided society and affords twenty four hour access to all those who use the internet. Online memorials have also been identified as a virtual location where stigma, disenfranchisement and loss of voice in bereavement can be publically noted and challenged.

Current research surrounding the use of online memorials has identified that little is known about the creation and use of private memorial sites as they are problematical for researchers to access. This study aimed to address this gap in the research by exploring the creation and use of an online memorial which is both private and relating to a death by suicide which is often considered a socially stigmatised bereavement.

The study used auto/biographical research methods utilising a single case study design to explore the narratives of a naturally occurring online memorial alongside an asynchronous email interview with the memorial author. Thematic analysis of the data provided insights into the motivating factors, creation and use of this example of an online memorial. The research also offered insights into the life of the deceased and that of a survivor of bereavement by suicide and in so doing has explored the distinctions between the life lived, the life experienced and the life as told through a form of cultural memorial expression increasingly prevalent in current society.

The study also offers consideration of the potential for therapeutic benefit from creating and using online memorials as a mourning activity which could influence Occupational Therapy practice and in so doing identified areas that would benefit from greater research attention to explore further the use/therapeutic use of online memorials.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: January 2012
Organisations: University of Southampton, Southampton Education School

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 373187
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/373187
PURE UUID: f5181977-70ea-4992-9d71-694b3a7e380d

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Jan 2015 15:03
Last modified: 22 Jul 2022 19:15

Export record

Contributors

Author: Saffron L. Scott
Thesis advisor: Michael Erben

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×