Physical Death in the Digital Age

As the physical life is intrisically connected with online services and digital social networks, so is the physical death. This chapter describes the last journey, from the reluctant planning to the digital manifestations afterwards. Using a simple timelime (before, just around, and after the physical death of an individual), the digital possibilities in the different stages are presented. They range from the need for being prepared to the intricate questions of digital assets and inheritance, from the service of online undertakers to the shared memorials on social network sites. The truely cross-disciplinary research into death online is in the process of assembling as a field, thus reporting from the diverse and dynamic activity surrounding the physical death in the digital age.