New Places of Remembrance: Individual Web Memorials in the Netherlands

Abstract

The creation of places of remembrance in virtual space constitutes a new ritual to commemorate the dead. The purpose of this study is to explore for whom individual Web memorials are meaningful places, who are commemorated, and whether they constitute a community of support. We analyzed 181 Dutch Web memorials and conducted content analysis of messages posted in four guestbooks. We found that parents, and in particular mothers, create Web memorials in remembrance of their deceased children. The memorials provide access to a community of social support, consisting primarily of strangers and/or people who have experienced a similar loss.