Collective Memory, Tragedy, and Participatory Spaces
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Digital Memorialization: Collective Memory, Tragedy, and Participatory Spaces __________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts, Digital Media Studies __________ by Sara Hebert June 2008 Advisor: Adrienne Russell Digital Memorialization: Collective Memory, Tragedy, and Participatory Spaces by Sara Hebert is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. For more information please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ The works cited or discussed within this essay remain property of the original intellectual property owners. Images and other media in the appendices belong to intellectual property owners as noted. Author: Sara Hebert, Candidate for Master of Arts, Digital Media Studies Title: Digital Memorialization: Collective Memory, Tragedy, and Participatory Spaces Advisor: Adrienne Russell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Digital Media Studies Degree Date: June 2008 Abstract Throughout American history, memorials have played a key role in shaping collective memory and propagating particular beliefs and conceptions of public tragedy. With the rise of an online participatory culture, collective memory can be shaped by a plurality of voices, rather than by those with powerful positions in government and other large organizations, which typically control the process of memorialization. Social media connects communities through technology and has allowed the public to create spaces for mourning and memorialization without the input of official culture. The digital memorials that arise out of media environments contribute to and change the collective memory of American public tragedy. This study centers around three forms of digital memorials: video memorials, mourning on social networking sites, and memorials in virtual worlds.Through analysis of specific digital memorial sites, commentary from digital memorial media producers and a historical analysis of traditional memorial sites and spontaneous shrine sites this thesis examines how these memorials function as activist media not only in relation to issues surrounding public tragedy, but also by shaping collective memory. ii Acknowledgements Many thanks to the following people who assisted me in this work: ● Adrienne Russell for serving as my thesis advisor and providing excellent guidance throughout my research and writing process ● My thesis committee, Lynn Schofield-Clark, Annette Stott, and Timothy Weaver. ● Lisa Nicoletti for exposing me to death studies and emergent memorial practices. ● I could not have completed this thesis without the keen eyes of Chris Jay and Nick Doty who read and provided feedback on initial drafts. iii Table of Contents Preface..................................................................................................................................1 Conceptual Foundation........................................................................................................4 Literature Review.................................................................................................................7 Memory and Identity.......................................................................................................7 Spontaneous Shrines and the Memorial Arts................................................................10 Experiences of Mourning..............................................................................................13 Participatory Culture and Commons-Based Peer Production.......................................15 Activist Media...............................................................................................................18 Areas of Inquiry.................................................................................................................19 You Watching This Here And Now: Video Tributes as Activist Media.......................19 Your World, Your Imagination?: Representation and Social Expectations in Virtual Memorials.....................................................................................................................20 Forward, Together, Forward: Mourning on Social Network Sites................................20 Chapter 1:...........................................................................................................................22 You Watching This Here And Now: Video Tributes as Activist Media............................22 Chapter 2:...........................................................................................................................38 Your World, Your Imagination?: Representation and Social Expectations in Virtual Memorials..........................................................................................................................38 Chapter 3:...........................................................................................................................57 Forward, Together, Forward: Mourning on Social Networking Sites...............................57 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................73 Democratization of memorialization and collective memory.......................................73 Permanence vs. Temporality.........................................................................................75 Relationship to traditional memorials...........................................................................76 Shared experiences, power, and freedom of speech......................................................77 Digital memorials as activist media..............................................................................79 Avenues for Future Inquiry................................................................................................81 Bibliography......................................................................................................................84 Virtual Memorial Sites in Second Life..........................................................................94 Appendices.........................................................................................................................95 Appendex A: Interview Materials......................................................................................96 Informed Consent Form ..............................................................................................96 iv Transcribed interview with Jim Combs, Group Administrator of the Facebook group “Pray for Northern Illinois University Students and Families”....................................97 Appendix B: Video Memorials........................................................................................103 Appendix C: Documentation of the Facebook Group “Pray for Northern Illinois University Students and Families” and the MySpace Page “ NIU Safelist and Support” ..........................................................................................................................................104 More documentation can be downloaded at http://tastyshebert.com/niu/niu_doc.zip104 Memorial Groups on Social Networking Sites...........................................................104 Content from Pray for Northern Illinois University Students and Families...............106 Westboro Baptist Church related material:..................................................................110 Memorial Ribbon Images:...........................................................................................116 Appendix D: Documentation of the Second Life Virtual Memorials..............................119 Benazir Bhutto Memorial............................................................................................119 Vietnam Veterans Memorial........................................................................................119 September 11th Memorial...........................................................................................121 Virginia Tech Memorial..............................................................................................123 v Preface In front of the courthouse in Shreveport, LA sits a tall stone monument with a metal fence around the base. Atop a pillar is a soldier holding a rifle, and around the base of this pillar are the bust of four icons of the American Civil War: Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, Pierre G.T. Beauregard and Henry Watkins Allen. The monument serves as a memorial to “the soldiers and sailors of Caddo Parish who served...in the service of the South.” (Brock, 2005, p. 37) The inscription on the pillar states “Lest We Forget” speaks to the strong sentiment many Southerners felt toward the Confederacy, particularly in Shreveport, which was briefly the Confederate capital. Erected in 1905, the memorial reflects an old way of thinking about the Civil War, and its placement in front of the courthouse is an unusual juxtaposition for a city where over half the population identifies as Black or African American (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). The Confederate Memorial represents the power of memorialization in representing old ways of thinking over long spans of time. While at one time having a 1 constant reminder of the Confederacy was useful for citizens of Shreveport, many feel that the memorial represents an out-dated, racist way of thinking and that its placement in front of the courthouse