How will you be remembered after you’re dead?

Yasmin Jiwani of Concordia University provides a fascinating look today at how the Internet is changing the way we mourn.

“Virtual graveyards” are a relatively new online phenomenon which can offer digital immortality. “These are graveyards in cyberspace and they function much like the cemeteries in real life, with one exception — you can go there at any time and from any place.”

Prof. Jiwani points out these online memorial sites and apps offer marginalized communities – whose members are seldom the subject of traditional newspaper obituaries – a new chance to honour the everyday contributions of their friends and family.

Another digital phenomenon – how Google influences online shopping choices – is expertly explained by Michael Armstrong and Anteneh Ayanso of Brock University. And if you’re using Google to find a summer camp for the kids, Troy Glover of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo offers practical advice on what to look for if you want your children to continue to grow intellectually outside of the classroom.

Regards,