"Why are they commenting on his page?": Using Facebook profile pages to continue connections with the deceased

This study examines what the living discuss on the Facebook profile pages of deceased loved ones and how these messages change over time. A content analysis of 2533 messages posted on ten deceased individuals' Facebook profile pages reveals that messages to the deceased reflect three themes: Processing the Death, Remembering the Deceased, and Continuing the Connection. An analysis of messages over time indicates that posts pertaining to processing the death and remembering the deceased peak immediately after loss and then decrease in frequency, while messages signaling continued connections increase with time. In discussing the results, this study seeks to expand upon Continuing Bonds theory and existing literature on grief communication online. People communicate a wide variety of messages to the deceased through Facebook.Nearly half of the posts reflect efforts to continue connections with the deceased.Messages of processing the death and remembering the deceased decrease over time.Messages of sustaining a connection with the deceased increase over time.Facebook can be used as a facilitator for maintaining bonds with the deceased.

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