Mourning Netiquette in the Italian context and factors that influence the sharing of mourning on social networks

Abstract

This study explores the topics of death and bereavement on social networks in the Italian contest through a qualitative study that includes x interviews with Italian people from different backgrounds. The study will solely focus on social network users with an understanding of online dynamics, since prejudices on social media by non-users could influence the opinion on this matter leading to irrelevant critiques. The interviews aim to grasp the context in which the interviewees live and its repercussions on the decision to share or not the death of a loved one in the online environment. Other factors will be registered in the interviews to try to understand the archetype of sharing people in the Italian contest. This will help the decision of therapeutic professionals to suggest or not this type of approach in different cases. Moreover, I will try to grasp the expectations of the sharing people about the variety of their posts on social media. This will help the wider public to be more sensitive to online mourners and act as a guide to deal with this content without falling into pity or prejudices.