By sharing our loss, we fight

Collective expressions of grief in the digital age

Bibliographic Data

ID11268357
AuthorsValentina Proust (0000-0002-3648-4647, University of Pennsylvania, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume46
Issue2
Pages393-403
Publication date2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia Culture & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-4437 • E-ISSN: 1460-3675
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/01634437231207760
OpenAlexW4387972131
LanguageEN
Citations received21
References cited34

This essay explores the potential of digital mourning for activists and social movements, enabling them to navigate the injuries inflicted by hegemonic powers and harness these experiences as a meaningful force for social change. Through a literature review of scholarly works on mourning within digital platforms, the article identifies theories and characterizations that foster critical reflections on the significance of these online instances. Moreover, by presenting three examples of digital mourning activism (Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 protests, and the Arab Spring), the paper highlights the significance of digital platforms as spaces for collective mourning, shaping public opinion, building collective memory, and driving activism beyond the digital realm. Overall, this essay aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of digital mourning as an empowering tool for activism, shedding light on its role in facilitating meaning-making processes and fostering the potential for profound social change in the face of systemic challenges and injustices

Aesthetics · Collective identity · Collective memory · Epistemology · Face (sociological concept · Grief · Hegemony · Meaning (existential · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Realm · Social movement · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Law · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Psychology · Social Media and Politics