Death in the Digital Age

This file photo taken on March 23, 1998 shows US actor Robin Williams, winner of the Best Supporting Actor in "Good Will Hunting", posing for photographers with the Oscar at the 70th Annual Academy Awards.

Tributes flooded social media sites when news of actor Robin Williams' untimely death broke. Hundreds of thousands of users took to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to express their shock and sadness at the news, and reminisced about his films which appeared to be childhood favourites for the majority of them. Their grief is understandable. Williams was an icon, his death made even more tragic by the revelation that he had killed himself after a long battle with depression.

The death of someone well-known is always a shock to the system. When you're used to seeing someone on your television screen year after year, they seem to be elevated to an almost immortal status. We feel detached from them in the sense that we think they'll be around forever, always making us laugh or cry, or feel something. We're ordinary people. Mortality feels like something that only affects us, not the famous. There's no denying that just because someone is part of the Hollywood elite, for example, it doesn't mean you can't connect with them on a personal level. The work of a certain musician may strike a chord within you, or you may rewatch a certain actor's performance when nothing else will cheer you up. When they pass away, you're bound to feel upset, and you have every right to voice your feelings online.

However, with social media use at unprecedented levels, and with the influx of hashtags and trends, it seems as though people now have this need to be included in the latest news. As soon as a story breaks, people tweet about it, they post statuses about it, and they share other people's posts about it – it makes them feel involved. Therefore, when someone passes away and people flock to their keyboards, it makes you think, how genuine are they being? When the families of the deceased call for privacy so that they can mourn, is it right to 'like' a post that has announced death? It may be comforting for Williams' family to see all these people write about what an inspiration he was and how he will be sorely missed, but at the same time, is it not a tad insensitive to disregard their wishes and continue to inundate them with posts? The reporting of sensitive issues like depression and suicide also raises another red flag. In 2008, the World Health Organisation reported that “vulnerable individuals may be influenced to engage in imitative behaviour by reports of suicide, particularly if the coverage is extensive”. The excessive detail in the reports of celebrity deaths can easily trigger individuals, especially when they're idolised in such a big way. The language used when reporting these cases is also important. Suicide was decriminalised in 1961, and the phrase “committed suicide” can be offensive because it implies criminal action.
When British actor and comedian Rik Mayall passed away in June, people who grew up watching him in the 80s and 90s wasted no time reminding the world about how brilliant he was. An acquaintance on Facebook said he “cried for 20 minutes straight” after finding out the news. It's easy to dismiss something like that as sheer exaggeration because you know it's likely that the last time they watched something by Mayall was back in the 90s. The more popular social media becomes, the more cynical we get as we question the motives behind everyone that posts during a tragedy. It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between who is posting just to get some 'likes' or retweets, and who is genuinely saddened at the death of their idol.

Users on sites such as Twitter often do not think of the consequences ot posting a tweet to their followers.

Social media sites give people a sense of anonymity. They feel like they can say anything knowing they're protected by a computer screen. Then there are people who have a penchant for dark humour. Together this creates an unsavoury combination resulting in people making insensitive jokes regarding tragic events. There are of course people who use humour as a coping mechanism. Many of us do it to different degrees. To give you a recent example, many Twitter users tweeted about Robbie Williams dying, playing on the fact that his name is similar to Robin Williams. To some this could be a harmless joke – a fitting tribute to a man who based his career on comedy. However, many people deemed jokes about Williams' death as offensive, claiming that mental health issues and suicide weren't things to joke about. Who draws the line at what's offensive and what isn't? What makes it okay to make jokes about one thing, but not another? If you enjoy dark humour should you be allowed to post about it online or should you keep quiet out of respect for the dead and for your audience who may not share the same sentiments? It's an interesting point of discussion. Things go viral now within seconds of being posted and can result in arrests or even jailtime. Is your joke worth it just to let people know you're aware that someone has died and this is your contribution?

Ultimately, it boils down to common courtesy. You don't have to be a fan of Robin Williams' work to appreciate that the world has lost an immense talent. As haunting as it is, it's true; the funniest people usually are the saddest.