Social Media Commemoration

Re-imagining social media as a commemorative space for remembrance and recovery

Presented at INTERACT (International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction) 2021

My Role:
Prototype design, Observation, Qualitative Analysis, Documentation

My Team:
Sunho Kwon: problem definition, qualitative analysis, Minseok Kim: prototyping, Dongwoo Kim: in-depth interview, Sunah Hwang: user-testing

Location
Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

Time
6 months

Deliverables
Commemoration in Instagram prototype, In-depth interview qualitative results, user-testing results

Table of Contents

Problem Definition

01

Exploratory Study

02

Value Design and Prototype

Qualitative Data Analysis

04

03

What happens to my social media account after I die; how can I manage it when I'm not there anymore?

  • Digital Traces and Presence

    What will happen after I die? We’d probably wonder what’ll happen to my family, friends, my dog or cat that’s left behind.. but hardly about our Instagram account or other social media, maybe because it’s deemed less important, or is something that’s valued less than physical connections. Our identity on social media after demise, is something that’s been explored for many years, and digital traces and presence is one example.

  • Value Sensitive Design

    We used Value Sensitive Design as our main design method. In order to reconcile social media and after death situation with the use of technological interaction, we have to consider the digital volition, or the general volition of each stakeholder involved in the process, and as a whole it is both resulted as and embraced by a thanatosensitive design to bring the concept of mortality into our daily activity.

  • Thanatosensitivity

    There has been recent studies on 'thanatosensitivity' that creates and uses technologies that allow us to comprehend, reflect, and discuss the mortality.

To Extract Values According to Human Volition and Design Commemorative Space in Instagram Dedicated to Remember and Recover

Research Goal 1

Investigate user perception of commemoration

Research Goal 3

Design a social media system for death preparation and commemoration

Research Goal 2

Discuss how social media is, and can be utilized as a commemoration tool

Research Goal 4

Evaluate the newly proposed system

Project Statement

Exploratory Research

  • β€’ Transcript Coding

    β€’ Affinity diagraming

Prototyping and User-testing

  • Pilot UT

  • β€’ Evaluation

    β€’ Final Design Solution

Research Structure

Exploratory Research:

Identifying Stakeholders

  • Before Death: All Users

    How do users want their Instagram to be or be managed, after their death?

  • After Death: The Bereaved

    How have users commemorated the loss of their close ones or processed their deaths?

  • Legacy Contact

    How was it like to manage the post-mortality of their closed ones?

1. Processing Death

Processing death begins from the moment the person receives the obituary. He or she goes through following emotional stages: a denial, fear, followed by sorrow, then regret.

2. Purposes and Practices of Commemoration

Essence of purposes and practices of commemoration in fact was both to memorialize the deceased, but also for the sake of the bereaved.

3. Commemorative Communities

It is born with the common purpose to honor the loved ones, and renew the connections with them, and reaffirm the relationship within the community.

4. Online Commemoration: Pros and Cons

Some said online platforms certainly lower that barrier and increase accessibility to commemorate and share experiences between the bereaved. Yet, some were doubtful about the sincerity of online commemoration.

5. Using Social Media After Death

Possibility and potential that social media can entail as an expression tool after someone’s death.

Thematic Analysis

Design Solution

Re-imagining Commemorative Space

Setting up the Commemoration Account : All Users

Management Account for Account Manager : Legacy Contact

Encountering the Commemoration Acount : The Bereaved - followers

Design Requirements

A system to set up commemorative space before death.

Identified Values: Privacy, Volition

A manager to run the commemorative space.

Identified Values: Protection, Volition, Security

A space to recover and perpetuate the memory.

Identified Values: Recovery, Remembrance, Privacy, Sincerity

Assign Manager

Assign Manager

Group 1: To-Be-Dead

Commemoration Account setup process is required for the users to enact their volition before death. A brief and concise walkthrough is provided with a preview for the users to familiarize themselves with the concept of Commemoration Account.

Account Set-Up

Account Set-Up

Basic Tutorial

Basic Tutorial

Send DM

Send DM

Group 2: Bereaved

Once the death of the account owner is reported to Instagram by the Account Manager, assuming that the owner wished to create a Commemoration Account, the original Instagram account is converted into a Commemoration Account. Here, the bereaved can use various features to remember the deceased and recover from emotional distress.

Tag in Stories

Tag in Stories

Post to Their Walls

Post to Their Walls

Notify Others

Notify Others

Disseminate Orbituaries

Disseminate Orbituaries

Group 3: Legacy Contact

The Account Manager is the legacy contact assigned by the account owner during his or her Commemoration Account setup. Provided that the Account Manager has accepted the request and filed the owner’s death report, the Account Manager specialized account is generated for he or she can switch between his or her account by clicking the profile.

Manage Messages

Manage Messages

Manage Activities

Manage Activities

Accept Request

Accept Request

A. Setting up commemoration account


β†’ Rare opportunity to delve into the thought of dying
β†’ Tedious customization process deemed necessary

C. Commemorating with the Commemoration Account

β†’ Community and space to relieve fear and sorrow
β†’ Thoughtful UI design involving each stakeholderΚΌs values

B. Managing the account as an Account Manager

β†’ Its role vital to handle emergencies
β†’ Connecting the deceased with the bereaved

D. Evaluation Summary

  • Chance to contemplate death

  • Importance of volition before death

  • Significance of space for sharing

User Testing

Following project was then published at Interact 2021. Bari, Italy.
I had the honor to be the oral presenter at the virutal conference. Full paper can be found here: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-85616-8_26