They treat grief online



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Photo: Erik Nylander / TT

On the web, you can contact people with similar experiences of loss. Stock Photography.

Photo: Johan Wingborg

The network is available 24 hours a day, anytime, anywhere. According to researcher Ylva Hård av Segerstad, it is not the same as if you are going to meet a support group.

At the time of the holons, net registrations speak of close relatives who have left. You can see pictures of ornate tombs and share memories.

But for many, the work of mourning has also been put online.

"Social media and digital tools make it possible to get support in a way that was not possible before," says Ylva Hård av Segerstad, associate professor in the department of Applied Informatics. the University of Gothenburg.

She studied the work on grief in social media and studied a closed support group on Facebook for parents who lost children. The group has about 2,000 members. He is moderate and you apply to become a member. It is tested so that those who become members are really affected by a loss. For many, the group is very important.

– The group is available at any time, 24 hours a day, everywhere and at any time. This is not the same as if you physically meet in a support group.

Great importance

For many, digital channels have simply become a forum of sorrow and comfort.

"You have the opportunity to contact many more people than you can otherwise, people sharing a similar experience," said Ylva Hård av Segerstad.

There are a number of similar groups. Groups for people who have lost a family member after a violence or suicide, groups for those who forget someone because of an illness or a close to my life. Groups are often user-driven and have been created by the need to connect with other people with similar experiences who can express their understanding.

"Not anymore"

– A group may contain people who lost their close relative 30 or 40 years ago and others who lost it last week. According to Ylva Hård av Segerstad, this creates an opportunity to help others who have followed the process before me.

Discussion groups are often not the only way to deal with their grief online. Many have their own blog, post content on their Facebook or Instagram feeds open, or recount memories and share the grief of the deceased. And sometimes, they are sad to see that their friends and loved ones have more opportunity to express their participation through social media than face to face.

– It's a paradox. For Facebook, often accused of being superficial and happy. But in such situations, words can be perceived as more authentic, says Ylva Hård with Segerstad.

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