I Said Your Name in an Empty Room: Grieving and Continuing Bonds on Facebook

I Said Your Name in an Empty Room: Grieving and Continuing Bonds on

Facebook

Emily Getty Jessica Cobb

Meryl Gabeler Christine Nelson

Ellis Weng Jeffrey Hancock

CHI 2011 Vancouver, BC

-  Social life with metaphor of drama

-  Grief is a back stage emotion, individuals can experience relief when it is bought to the forefront

Front or Back Stage Grieving?

-  Social life with metaphor of drama

-  Grief is a back stage emotion, individuals can experience relief when it is bought to the forefront

Front or Back Stage Grieving?

‐ Public expression of grief ‐ Social support ‐ Story telling 

Continuing Bonds or Letting Go?

Mourners must let go to heal

VS

Maintaining a relationship with the deceased is beneficial

Collected wall posts from 11 deceased Facebook users. 

Developed a script to preprocess the posts. 

Posts analyzed LinguisCc Inquiry & Word Count (LIWC). 

Translated LIWC 

results into several indices matching predicCons 

Mixed models staCsCcal analysis. 

% Sorrow and Grief Words  

Still can’t believe your gone… have so much I wanna tell you and it hurts to know your not there =( Miss you buddy

Front‐Stage Grieving 

% Sorrow and Grief Words  

Still can’t believe your gone… have so much I wanna tell you and it hurts to know your not there =( Miss you buddy

Front‐Stage Grieving 

•  Sad emoCon terms (LIWC) 

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 

Pre‐Passing  Post‐Passing 

Series 1 % Sorrow and Grief Words  

Still can’t believe your gone… have so much I wanna tell you and it hurts to know your not there =( Miss you buddy

Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

% Social OrientaCon Words 

I was thinking about you… and then stupid facebook told me to send you a message… but I guess writing this on your wall means that someone will read it… and know that they aren’t alone in their sorrow

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

% Social OrientaCon Words 

I was thinking about you… and then stupid facebook told me to send you a message… but I guess writing this on your wall means that someone will read it… and know that they aren’t alone in their sorrow

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

•  Social dimension (LIWC) 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 

35 

40 

Pre‐Passing  Post‐Passing 

Series 1 % Social OrientaCon Words 

I was thinking about you… and then stupid facebook told me to send you a message… but I guess writing this on your wall means that someone will read it… and know that they aren’t alone in their sorrow

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

% PosiCve Memory 

… Even tho my heart is broken I can’t help but laugh at the memories I have with u… like u running out to the pool in ur speedo! Hahaha everyone was cracking up! And as usual it was you who made us all laugh! …

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

% PosiCve Memory 

… Even tho my heart is broken I can’t help but laugh at the memories I have with u… like u running out to the pool in ur speedo! Hahaha everyone was cracking up! And as usual it was you who made us all laugh! …

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

•  RaCo verb to noun 

% PosiCve Memory 

… Even tho my heart is broken I can’t help but laugh at the memories I have with u… like u running out to the pool in ur speedo! Hahaha everyone was cracking up! And as usual it was you who made us all laugh! …

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

•  RaCo verb to noun •  Past tense verbs 

% PosiCve Memory 

… Even tho my heart is broken I can’t help but laugh at the memories I have with u… like u running out to the pool in ur speedo! Hahaha everyone was cracking up! And as usual it was you who made us all laugh! …

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

•  RaCo verb to noun •  Past tense verbs •  PosiCve emoCon words 

% PosiCve Memory 

… Even tho my heart is broken I can’t help but laugh at the memories I have with u… like u running out to the pool in ur speedo! Hahaha everyone was cracking up! And as usual it was you who made us all laugh! …

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

Front‐Stage Grieving 

0 2 4 6 8 

10 12 14 16 18 20 

Pre‐Passing  Post‐Passing 

Series 1 

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

LeWng Go or ConCnuing Bonds? 

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

LeWng Go or ConCnuing Bonds? 

“Anytime someone asks me why I want to be a teacher, I think of you and smile. Thanks for inspiring me. I still miss you and I always will!”

Non‐immediacy Index  

•  arCcles 

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

LeWng Go or ConCnuing Bonds? 

“Anytime someone asks me why I want to be a teacher, I think of you and smile. Thanks for inspiring me. I still miss you and I always will!”

Non‐immediacy Index  

•  arCcles •  six le[er words 

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

LeWng Go or ConCnuing Bonds? 

“Anytime someone asks me why I want to be a teacher, I think of you and smile. Thanks for inspiring me. I still miss you and I always will!”

Non‐immediacy Index  

+ arCcles + six le[er words ‐ 1st person singular 

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

LeWng Go or ConCnuing Bonds? 

“Anytime someone asks me why I want to be a teacher, I think of you and smile. Thanks for inspiring me. I still miss you and I always will!”

Non‐immediacy Index  

+ arCcles + six le[er words ‐  1st person singular ‐  discrepancy words 

Funeral image here Funeral image here 

LeWng Go or ConCnuing Bonds? 

“Anytime someone asks me why I want to be a teacher, I think of you and smile. Thanks for inspiring me. I still miss you and I always will!”

Non‐immediacy Index  

+ arCcles + six le[er words ‐  1st person singular ‐  discrepancy words ‐  present tense verbs 

‐8 

‐6 

‐4 

‐2 

0 

2 

4 

6 Series 1 

Immediate 

Non‐immediate 

Pre‐Passing  Post‐Passing 

Front Stage Grieving Continuing Bonds

I Said Your Name in an Empty Room: Grieving and Continuing Bonds on

Facebook

Emily Getty, erg29@cornell.edu Jessica Cobb, jcc97@cornell.edu Meryl Gabeler, mag359@cornell.edu Christine Nelson, cln28@cornell.edu Ellis Weng, ew82@cornell.edu Jeffrey Hancock, jeff.hancock@cornell.edu

CHI 2011 Vancouver, BC

“i miss you so much. sometimes i just need you to make me laugh.”

“Merry Christmas! Thanks for the visit lastnight... always good to see you in my

dreams.” “i wish the world had more people like you in it. you know i love you.”

“thinking about you today. miss u.”