Why Do We Write Obituaries? Understanding the Purpose of an Obituary.
For many families, writing and publishing the obituary of a loved one is an important part of the grieving process. It the United States, the obituary is a standard part of making funeral arrangements. However, this wasn’t always the case and today the practices around obituaries are changing as we live more of our lives online. Why are obituaries so important to our culture and what do we hope to accomplish with them?
Brief History of Obituaries
Brief death notices have been printed in America as early as the 1600s. But, these were mostly one or two sentence notices that only shares the bare facts about a death. The practice of writing more detailed obituaries didn’t take root in the United States until the 1800s when the practice was imported from British newspapers.
The conventions and traditions around obituaries have continued to evolve as the values of society changed. One of the most recent changes is the advent of digital or online obituaries. These seem to be a natural outgrowth of the amount of time we spend on social media and elsewhere online.
Sharing Loss with the Community
The early death notices were simply news items. But, as the obituary evolved into what it is today, the reasons for the practice changed. Obituaries were originally printed in newspapers because that was the only form of mainstream media. Everyone that could read a newspaper. Obituaries became a way to honor loved ones that had passed away and to communicate the details of the funeral arrangements and memorial services to the wider community.
Obituaries used to be part of what united communities. Before the middle of the 20th century, most people died within 20 miles of the place they were born. This meant that families lived closer together and many of the people in a given community knew each other’s families going back generations. Newspaper obituaries allowed for shared grief.
Do Newspaper Obituaries Still Matter?
The world of today looks different than the world of 19th century America. Newspapers don’t connect neighborhoods and communities anymore. In fact, newspapers are disappearing. People continue to publish obituaries in newspapers, but every year the cost of doing so increases and the number of people reached decreases.
It used to be that newspapers were part of the official record keeping in cities and towns. But, now when a newspaper goes out of business often their archives disappear too.
Do newspaper obituaries still matter? Many people still think of traditional print obituaries as the standard. But, as more people grow up never reading a print newspaper the hold and allure of a printed newspaper obituary is fading.
Online obituaries are growing rapidly.
Online obituaries are growing rapidly. They not only cost significantly less, but they are a better format for communicating the news of someone’s death to friends and family who often no longer live in the same communities they were born in.
It appears that newspaper obituaries no longer serve their original purposes. Online obituaries are more accessible, more likely to stand the test of time, easier to share, and are not limited by just being black and white text and images. MyObits is an excellent example of an online obituary platform.
Obituaries will continue to be an important part of our grieving process. However, in the near future, digital obituaries will completely replace printed newspaper ones.
