TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Speaking Ill of the Dead: Anonymity and Communication About Suicide on MyDeathSpace.com
JO  - Communication studies
A1  - Leonard, L.G.
A1  - Toller, P.
SP  - 387
EP  - 404
VL  - 63
IS  - 4
N2  - From birth to death, many individuals chronicle their lives online through blogs, pictures, games, Web sites, and social networks. Online spaces, created by the living about the dead, provide a glimpse into often invisible or silent grieving practices. To investigate the role computer-mediated communication (CMC) plays in influencing communication surrounding the often private and taboo topic of suicide, we analyzed the comments sections of MyDeathSpace.com. Our results suggest both a breaking down of social taboos (speaking ill of the dead) and a reaffirming of strict social norms (enforcing a narrow range of acceptable presentation of identity and purpose in life), highlighting how anonymity as a characteristic of CMC can influence our online communication about death. © 2012 Copyright Central States Communication Association.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1051-0974
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2011.629274
ID  - ref1
ER  -