In 2011 The New York Times published an article that discussed the growing trend toward remotely broadcast live stream funeral services (read the full article here). Since that time, many funeral homes have quietly been adding the service.
Now, a new article published in The Atlantic once again explores the impact of offering real-time streaming of funeral services.
While the utility of funeral webcasting is clear, what is less apparent is the technology’s impact on the Westerns world’s relationship with death. For individual mourners, is it helpful or harmful to the grieving process? What happens if there’s a technical problem with the webcast—will we grieve even more knowing we missed the service in person and online? Does webcasting bode well for the future of death acceptance? Or does it only promote of our further alienation from that inevitable moment? Read the full story: Death on the Internet: The Rise of Livestreaming Funerals
What do you think? Is live streaming funerals an idea whose time has come or should we stay away from these broadcasts?
