Angels in the Clouds: Stillbirth and Virtual Cemeteries on 50 YouTube Videos

Omega (Westport). 2021 Mar;82(4):587-608. doi: 10.1177/0030222818824732. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Abstract

Today every aspect of our life is published and shared online, including grief. The virtual cemeteries and social networks' use could be considered as a new modern mortuary ritual. Starting from the keyword stillbirth, 50 videos published on YouTube since 2008 have been analyzed qualitatively. The videos, 70% published by the mother, with an average length of 5.52 minutes, a mean of 2,429,576 views and 2,563 of comments, follow a sort of script: the second part with black and white photos, background music, and religious references. Could the continuous access to the child's technological grave encourage a complicated grief or be a support, given by the interaction with users, limiting the sense of isolation. The parent shows his or her own conceptions about death and, as a modern baptism, presents the child to the whole society. Videos keep child's memory alive and fuel a process of personalization and tenderness in the user.

Keywords: YouTube; death; social networks; stillbirth; video.

MeSH terms

  • Cemeteries
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pregnancy
  • Social Media*
  • Stillbirth
  • Video Recording