Refleksje na temat wirtualnych cmentarzy. Uwarunkowania społeczne i kulturowe

Abstract

Virtual cemeteries, even though existing marginally within funereal rituals, appear regularly in cyberspace and have their audience. The number of places of worship and the virtual funereal services is increasing. This paper answer the questions whether virtual cemeteries are inescapable social practice connected with death and grief ritual, whether they become a part of this ritual and if they allow the experience of the bereavement. Social conditions, like changes within funereal rituals, mediatization, internet popularizing, moving to the cyberspace social practices, deepening privatization and rituals’ individualization, and also cultural conditions, like shaping individual meanings and context of the culture and culture pauperization, are laying the foundations of virtual cemeteries. One criticizes them for changing the traditional late cult and the memory rituals, others value them for giving the opportunity of the visualization of their relatives’ graves and creating a new space, where the cult of late can be celebrated.