The Use of Social Media in the Aftermath of a Suicide: Findings from a Qualitative Study in England

Introduction e research draws on the experiences of bereaved individuals who utilize Facebook to memorialize loved ones who have died by suicide. Aspects of the research have been published elsewhere. In Bailey et al. (2014), we explore how the use of social media in the aftermath of a suicide contributes to the continuing social presence of the deceased and how this, in turn, facilitates continuing bonds between the deceased and the bereaved. In Bell et al. (2015), we expand on this to explore the impact of continuing bonds on the grieving process. We show how the online identity of the deceased evolves and, simultaneously, how the online activity of mourners shifts over time. In this chapter, we highlight the benefits and constraints of Facebook use in the aftermath of a suicide. While we have touched on this in previous articles (Bailey et al., 2014 and Bell et al., 2015), this topic has yet to be explored in detail.