“Nobody, even not wife, son, daughter, dad and mom. Nobody touch a dead body when its for grave. Its issue of coronavirus. Oh Allah don't give us death like this.”
[tweet appears in JACR “Don’t give us death like this: Commemorating Death in the Age of COVID-19”]
How do family members and service providers honor those who have died from COVID-19?
This research honors the lives of COVID-19 victims and gives voice to the commemorations their families share.
How do family members and service providers honor those who have died from COVID-19? What is the role of technology in such efforts? In the age of COVID-19, commemorating memories of the deceased is not only about death, it is also about commemorating crucial circumstances that surround their death: when loved ones are hospitalized receiving treatment; just around their death including end-of-life, body disposition, burial and funeral; and long after they die. In these memories, digital technologies like iPads, social media, and video games help people manage COVID-19 related disruptions that prevent people from giving their loved ones a ‘good death,’ making sense of their departure, and receiving public acknowledgement for their losses. As a result, digital technologies become important elements in death memories.
Article
"Don't give us death like this!" Commemorating Death in the Age of COVID-19
Journal
forthcoming, Journal of the Association for Consumer Research
Co-authors
Lez E. Trujillo Torres