A New Way to Grieve – Funeral Webcasts?
By: Mark Winter
Sure, the internet and technology have done a lot of great things, whether bringing people together through social networking sites or sharing home videos with your sister who lives thousands of miles away, but are funeral webcasts taking it too far?
A recent BusinessWeek article explores the rising popularity of Web grief – live Web streaming of funeral services. The idea behind this disturbing new use of internet technology is that mourners can take part in the grieving experience without taking the time and spending the money to attend the actual funeral service. This led me to wonder…are we too busy or cheap to pay our lasts respects to our loved ones in the presence of family and friends? Is technology acting to pull people apart faster than it is bringing people together?
I do see how funeral webcasts can effectively integrate family members into the grieving process of a soldier who lost his or her life overseas. However, this emotionally detached use of technology should never replace the coming together of family and friends when possible.
Technology has officially crept in to the most intimate aspects of our lives – will face-to-face celebrations, solemn services and confrontations soon be obsolete?
