You're born. You live. You die. Your legacy is left as the memories people have of you. You are eternal in their eyes, in their hearts, in their lives, and their laptops.
I have recently lost a few friends at tragically young ages, to different, unexpected circumstances. In all cases technology has played a large role in the grieving process. In one case, I was notified of a dear friends passing by receiving a text message after my plane landed. In another, and several other cases, I was notified on Facebook by a status update reading RIP. I have been invited to memorial pages for friends of mine that I had no idea had died, and it's not that I'm not great friends with them, it's just that they live far away or are important people from my past. It's like logging on to Facebook and in my news feed it reading "You have 1 dead friend."
Now with the onslaught of status updates and profile pictures and virtual communication one has to wonder, what if this tweet is my last?
Your twitter page, your Facebook profile, your Myspace will forever serve as an online memorial of your life and your friends. It will serve as a way for your friends to mourn and grieve and in most cases it will always be there. Many people won't know your passwords, and your Facebook will be a preserved memory of you.
In a way this concept seems eerie to me, this long standing snapshot of your days as a living breathing human, and the realization that you are, in fact, dead. On the other hand I feel that this is a touching and effective way of remembering the past and your friendships. Your Facebook page reminding us all of how alive you were, and how much we all love you, your wall serving as a your guestbook, full of memories and testimonials of your character.
So when you go forth and tweet, ask yourself, what if this tweet were your last? What if these words were the last words we would ever read from you online?
And on that note, Tweet in peace my friends, and may you always be remembered on Facebook.
RIP Thomas, Andrew, Robert, and Alison.
