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The Grief Grapevine: Facebook Memorial Pages and Adolescent Bereavement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2014

Mardi Frost
Mardi Frost*
Affiliation:
St Andrews Lutheran College — Counselling, Tallebudgera, Queensland, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Mardi Frost, St Andrews Lutheran College — Counselling, 175 Tallebudgera Creek Rd, Tallebudgera QLD 4228, Australia. Email: mardif@salc.qld.edu.au
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Abstract

How adolescents use the social networking site Facebook to express grief is a growing area of research. In reviewing current literature, it is evident that many questions still remain unanswered. Additionally, this ever-evolving platform for grief, mourning and bereavement may hold many implications for educators, policy developers and school counsellors and how they manage and support adolescents dealing with the sudden death of a peer. This article explores the reasons why Facebook memorials may appeal to a grieving adolescent, conventions in online grief, and challenges for schools in the context of policies for social networking.

Keywords

Facebook memorial pagesadolescent griefmourning ritualsconventions of online griefsocial media policy in schools
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , December 2014 , pp. 256 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2014 

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