More and more of our lives are being spent online. Instead of keeping diaries we have Facebook posts. Most of us have far more digital images online than we have physical photo albums. We don’t write letters, we write emails, texts, and use apps like Slack and WhatsApp. As the first kids who grew up with the internet become adults and begin making decisions about what happens to their parents, more of what happens after we die will also happen online, including obituaries.
Obituaries are Moving Online
One of the changes is that obituaries are moving online. While traditional print obituaries will continue to be purchased as long as newspapers last, in the next several years the majority of obituaries will be online—and most of these will be exclusively online.
In addition to the demographic shifts that are moving obituaries online, many people are choosing to post obituaries online because they are so much less expensive and so much more flexible.
Social Media, Memorials Pages, and Digital Obituaries
When most people think of an obituary they first think of the printed notices with the old black and white photos. But, in the digital age what we mean by obituary is evolving. Already many people have created social media memorial pages and personal memorial websites for loved ones that have passed on.
The best online obituary service providers, like MyObits, offer wide distribution of the obituary and make it easy to share it on social media, email, and even text messages.
Another benefit of digital obituaries and memorial pages is that they are easy to find with an internet search. They will also be viewable online forever.
The Generational Digital Divide
For the next few years, traditional print obituaries will continue to be popular. But, this is mostly due to the generational digital divide. Older people grew up with newspapers. Younger people largely did not. Seeing something in print, and having a tangible copy, means much more to older Americans than it does to younger Americans.
By the time the so-called digital native generations start buying obituaries for their loved ones, they will have no sentimental reason to post one in the newspaper.
What Obituaries Will Look Like in a Generation?
If you study the history of obituaries you will see how they have changed and evolved in response to cultural shifts and the different happenings in society. For example, in the early part of the 20th century, the trend in obituaries was poetry.
What will obituaries look like in a generation? Chances are they will all be online. Because they will be freed from the constraints of space and black ink like you are with print, obituaries will likely become longer and incorporate more photos and even videos.
Many online obituaries already offer guest books where people all over the world can leave words of condolence. In a generation or less, people may be able to leave short videos as well.
The internet has changed our lives and now it is also changing the way we grieve and celebrate the deaths of our loved ones.
