Remembrance and Mourning Rituals in Digital Cemeteries

Abstract

The study analyzed social media users who visited the social media profiles of deceased individuals on Instagram and Facebook and engaged in commenting activities, using the netnography method. Findings indicate that digital death profiles help individuals remember the deceased, provide comfort and solidarity to those grieving, and often transform mourning into digital rituals. Visits to these profiles are motivated by curiosity, associations, and platform notifications, while the continuity of the commenting culture reflects traces of old commemorative practices. Thus, this study, which offers an essential perspective on the role of secularization in the digitalization of post-death rituals, makes a significant contribution to the literature on the effects of digitalization on social and cultural practices. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.