Web sites a cyber-graveyard for the dead
Facebook, MySpace give voices to the living and the dead
Will York
Issue date: 11/27/07 Section: Technology
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Between life and death, myth and reality, deep within the circuits that make up the Internet, ghosts call back to the living.
They don't lie in graves made of earth, no tombstones honor their names, and mourners don't lay flowers.
They're the shadows of a life frozen by death and living memorials.
Mourners wander to their cyberspace tombs with their fingertips, not with their legs, where they lay bouquets of words-notes of fond remembrance or encouragement for those left behind.
UT Martin student Wes Brasher died in April 2007 from an inoperable brain tumor.
The 25-year-old remembered most for his cheery personality and penchant for the guitar was buried in his hometown of Decaturville, a small town east of Jackson, but his other burial ground—Facebook—is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
"It's there forever," said Brasher's friend Jenna Wallace. "You think they can read it, they can see it, they know how much you care."
Wallace, 21, a communications major, was among the first to post a note on Brasher's Facebook "wall."
"It was a connection to say how much we really miss him," Wallace said.
The day Brasher died, Wallace posted a short note on his wall, saying in part, "I love you very much and I will see you again!"
His photos tell of happier times, when he played his guitar and celebrated victories with his Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers.
His "news feed," which tells readers of the latest actions by Facebook members, says, "Wes has no recent activity."
Brasher is not the only student remembered through social networking Web sites like Facebook and MySpace.
Jodi Woods, an education major from Lawrenceburg, died in June 2006 from complications of bacterial meningitis, the disease that infects the tissues surrounding the brain.
When Woods' birthday came up Nov. 8, her 148 online friends were notified.
Her Facebook page was sprinkled with notes of remembrance, some as simple as "thinking of you today," and others more lengthy.
They don't lie in graves made of earth, no tombstones honor their names, and mourners don't lay flowers.
They're the shadows of a life frozen by death and living memorials.
Mourners wander to their cyberspace tombs with their fingertips, not with their legs, where they lay bouquets of words-notes of fond remembrance or encouragement for those left behind.
UT Martin student Wes Brasher died in April 2007 from an inoperable brain tumor.
The 25-year-old remembered most for his cheery personality and penchant for the guitar was buried in his hometown of Decaturville, a small town east of Jackson, but his other burial ground—Facebook—is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
"It's there forever," said Brasher's friend Jenna Wallace. "You think they can read it, they can see it, they know how much you care."
Wallace, 21, a communications major, was among the first to post a note on Brasher's Facebook "wall."
"It was a connection to say how much we really miss him," Wallace said.
The day Brasher died, Wallace posted a short note on his wall, saying in part, "I love you very much and I will see you again!"
His photos tell of happier times, when he played his guitar and celebrated victories with his Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers.
His "news feed," which tells readers of the latest actions by Facebook members, says, "Wes has no recent activity."
Brasher is not the only student remembered through social networking Web sites like Facebook and MySpace.
Jodi Woods, an education major from Lawrenceburg, died in June 2006 from complications of bacterial meningitis, the disease that infects the tissues surrounding the brain.
When Woods' birthday came up Nov. 8, her 148 online friends were notified.
Her Facebook page was sprinkled with notes of remembrance, some as simple as "thinking of you today," and others more lengthy.
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