Southern Methodist University SMU Scholar Anthropology Theses and Dissertations Anthropology Spring 2021 MOURNING PRACTICES ON FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK SHRINES AND OTHER RITUALS OF GRIEVING IN THE DIGITAL AGE Sydney Yeager [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Yeager, Sydney, "MOURNING PRACTICES ON FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK SHRINES AND OTHER RITUALS OF GRIEVING IN THE DIGITAL AGE" (2021). Anthropology Theses and Dissertations. https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds/15 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. MOURNING PRACTICES ON FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK SHRINES AND OTHER RITUALS OF GRIEVING IN THE DIGITAL AGE Approved by: _______________________________________ Dr. Caroline Brettell Professor and Chair, Anthropology ___________________________________ Dr. Nia Parson Associate Professor, Anthropology ___________________________________ Dr. Jill DeTemple Professor and Chair, Religious Studies ___________________________________ Prof. Phil Frana Associate Dean, Honors College, James Madison University MOURNING PRACTICES ON FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK SHRINES AND OTHER RITUALS OF GRIEVING IN THE DIGITAL AGE A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the Dedman College Southern Methodist University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Cultural Anthropology by Sydney Yeager B.S., History, University of Central Arkansas Master of Arts in Medical Anthropology, Southern Methodist University May 15, 2021 Copyright (2020) Sydney Yeager All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Death comes to us all in time. It is innate to the human experience, as is loss. The subject matter of my dissertation was challenging at times. In facing the difficult emotions of surrounding death, I learned so much from the wisdom and generosity of my research participants. I want to acknowledge that this work is the fruit of our combined efforts brought to life, in honor of the memory of the loved ones we have each lost. Southern Methodist University and the Department of Anthropology has my deepest gratitude for allowing me to pursue my passion for anthropology. During that pursuit of my dissertation research, I received financial support from the Peggy Harris Scholarship and the Society of Medical Anthropology. I would like to express my deep appreciation for my committee chair, Dr. Caroline Brettell, who guided me through my graduate career and saw me through my dissertation research and writing. Throughout the writing process she provided detailed feedback to me in a timely manner. To my committee, Dr. Nia Parson, Dr. Jill DeTemple, and Dr. Phil Frana, I am incredibly grateful for the advice and support each of you have provided me throughout my period of research. Dr. Nia Parson taught me how to be a medical anthropologist and to think critically about what type of anthropological writer I want to be. Dr. Phil Frana has challenged me to think as an interdisciplinary scholar and question the ethics of technology and innovation since I was an undergrad. His wealth of experience as a scholar of the Internet and technology contributed to my research design and my understanding of the significance of my dissertation findings. Dr. Jill DeTemple graciously stepped in as a iv committee member when one of my committee members passed away. She introduced me to the theoretical perspective of lived religion which was incredibly influential to my understanding of the context of my data. I also want to honor the memory of Dr. Victoria Lockwood who was on my committee prior to her passing, the late Dr. Robert Van Kemper whose was an influential teacher in the final year of my graduate coursework, and Dr. Norbert Schedler, founder of the University of Central Arkansas’ Norbert O. Schedler Honors College, who taught me interdisciplinary thinking is a worldview, not a job skill. My cohort at SMU, Saira Mehmood, Michaela Wallerstadet, and Dawn Crawford were indispensable bedrock throughout my graduate experience. They and Rebecca Boucher, Laura Jarvis, Carina Heckert, Afshan Kamrudin, Kerri Brown, and Josh Dorfman provided me with much needed support, encouragement, and friendship throughout the course of my time at SMU. I would also like to acknowledge the institutional support I received from the University of Central Arkansas and Hendrix College and to thank the Anthropology and Sociology Departments at both schools for allowing me the opportunity to teacher their extraordinary undergrads. I benefited greatly from the mentorship and encouragement of several educators I have come to call friends: Dr. Diane Hardgrave, who always had time to take my call; Dr. Wendy Lucas, who encouraged me to pursue my graduate studies and helped me understand the historic context of my work; Dr. Adam Frank, who introduced me to Anthropology in his “Gods and Ghosts of East Asia” sophomore honors class and continues to provide me with guidance and friendship; Dr. Chris Craun, who told me that I was asking anthropology questions in his freshman world history class and inspired me to take an anthropology class; and Dr. Anne Goldberg, who introduced me to the Academic Mamas Facebook Group. The members of the Digital Anthropology Interest Group provided me with support and inspiration throughout v dissertation planning, research, and writing. In particular, I want to thank Tom Boellstorff, Daniel Miller, Heather Horst, Erin Taylor, and Matt Thompson who mentored me and provided me with indispensably advice on how to conduct digital anthropology. I also owe a great dept of gratitude to Greg Adams and the Center for Good Mourning at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital who gave me grief training and early guidance in my research design. My family has supported, encouraged, and kept me grounded me throughout the eleven long years of my graduate studies. My parents, Crystal and Jim Yeager taught me believe in myself, fostered my curiosity, and instilled in me a strong work ethic and thirst for knowledge. These gifts inspired me to seek out a Ph.D. in anthropology and they saw me through it. My siblings Braxton and Kayleigh Yeager supported me, looked up to me, and provided a much- needed sounding board for ideas and my frustrations throughout my life and graduate career. I am incredibly proud of both of them, and how the three of us have forged on our own paths to improving the lives and well-being of others. My extended family was also incredibly supportive. My Mammaw Yvonne Horne provided me with financial support and encouragement to pursue my dreams. My Granny Sybil Castor continues to be an inspiration of determination and resilience. My many aunts, uncles, and cousins who supported and encouraged me and celebrated my achieves with me along the long road to my Ph.D. My mother-in-law Donna Burnett set a powerful example of breaking glass ceilings and raising a wonderful family. She and her family inspired and supported my dissertation research, and I am incredibly grateful to them. Lastly, but most significantly, I want to think the family I created while pursuing my Ph.D. My beautiful and brilliant children, Merlin and Soraleigh, filled me with love, joy, and purpose as I worked on my dissertation. Every word of this dissertation was made possible by vi the love and support of my husband and partner in all things Greg Wright who did his best to keep me sane through the eleven long years of graduate school. vii Yeager, Sydney B.S., History, University of Central Arkansas MA, Medical Anthropology, Southern Methodist University Mourning Practices on Facebook: Facebook Shrines and Other Rituals Of Grieving in the Digital Age Advisor: Dr. Caroline Brettell Doctor of Philosophy conferred May 15, 2021 Dissertation completed February 10, 2021 Death is a universal, and for humans so is the experience of grief that follows. This dissertation exams how Facebook users utilize the social media platform as they mourn their loved ones, process their grief, and support the grief of others. It explores how the experience of death and loss shapes the religious beliefs and actions of grievers and how social media impacts the grief experience of its users. It looks at the community that arises organically from mourning on the deceased’s Facebook Timeline and interrogates the social pressure to perform grief in such a public space. Finally, it asks how interacting with these virtual memorials impacts the mental and social health of participants. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. xii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUAL MOURNING .........................................1 1.1 My Introduction to Facebook Mourning ....................................................................2 1.2 Methods ....................................................................................................................8 1.3 Overview of Chapters .............................................................................................. 28 CHAPTER 2 ANTHROPOLOGY