San Francisco resident Sarah Buhr’s friend Tiffany passed away a couple of months ago but Buhr still hears from her on Facebook. Tiffany’s Likes, and other people’s comments on Tiffany’s profile, push her information onto Buhr’s newsfeed, offering a frequent reminder that her friend is gone. Buhr says she felt she had to unfriend Tiffany because it was too difficult to be reminded of the loss nearly everyday. Jeff Lutz has a similar story. His beloved grandfather’s wife, Laurel Lutz, passed away in 2011. Her side of the family must have continued to operate Laurel’s Facebook page because Lutz said he continued to see updates and Likes. “In the first week after Laurel passed, a note went on her Facebook wall thanking her family via various inside jokes and drinking references,” he says.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.