1. All Things Must Pass Away Online: Bereavement on Social Media
Megan Johnston, Molly Scoggin, & Chris Bjornsen, Ph.D. - Longwood University, U.S.A.
Abstract
In the present study we compared the manner in which emerging adults (18-25) and older adults (26-82) responded to the online bereavement posts of others, and their experiences of posting their own bereavement, on social media. Younger Ps focused more on the “like” function to interact with others, were more likely to give advice to others, and were less likely to be affected by written posts from others in response to their own bereavement.
Methods
Our sample consisted of 223 participants recruited by the first two authors via their own Facebook pages. Ps were between 18 and 82 years of age (age M = 34.66, SD = 15.62; 106 Ps yrs, 117 Ps yrs; 86.7% female; 90% Caucasian). The questionnaire was administered online and consisted of items written by the authors. Ten items measured responses to others’ online bereavement posts, and 7 items measured the effect of others’ responses to Ps’ bereavement posts (all 5-point Likert scales). Ps were included in MANOVA 1 if they had either read or responded to bereavement posts by others online, and included in MANOVA 2 if they had posted about their own loss of a loved one online.
Results and Discussion
MANOVA 1: We found a statistically significant difference between emerging adults (ages 18-25) and older adults’ responses to the bereavement posts of others (F (10, 210) = 10.93, p < .0005; Wilk’s Λ = 0.658, partial η2 = .34). Emerging adults were more likely to offer support for others’ bereavement posts by clicking “like” (F (1, 219) = 27.50; p < .0005; partial η2 = .11) and to offer advice to people who were grieving (F (1, 219) = 7.01; p < .01; partial η2 = .03). Emerging adults were less likely to post a reply to others’ bereavement posts (F (1, 219) = 16.65; p < .0005; partial η2 = .07) and to write a post to offer sympathy or condolences (F (1, 219) = 28.58; p < .0005; partial η2 = .12).
MANOVA 2: There was also a statistically significant difference between emerging adults and older participants regarding responses to their own bereavement posts (F (7, 164) = 3.48, p < .005; Wilk’s Λ = 0.871, partial η2 = .13). Emerging adults were more likely to indicate they checked to see if others had “liked” their bereavement posts (F (1, 170) = 6.23; p < .05; partial η2 = .03), and were less likely to indicate that the posts received in reply to their own bereavement posts had a positive effect on their grieving (F (1, 170) = 3.88; p < .05; partial η2 = .02).
Our results revealed that emerging adults respond to others’ bereavement more briefly and by offering advice rather than sympathy, and are affected more by having their bereavement posts ‘noticed’ by others in the digital world. Older adults, by contrast, are more likely to write a reply in sympathy of the bereavement of others, and take more comfort in written replies to their own online bereavement. The results suggest that EAs are more attuned to brevity on social media, even in the context of loss and bereavement.
Items and Mean Responses for Emerging Adults (EA) and Adults
EA  Adult Responding to the Bereavement Posts of Others
I typically offer support for others’ bereavement posts by clicking “like.” 
I typically post a reply to others’ bereavement posts.  
I typically write a post to offer sympathy or condolences to those who are
grieving on social media.
I read other people’s replies to bereavement posts.  
I typically click “like” to other people’s replies to bereavement posts.
I typically offer assistance, on social media, to people who are grieving.
I typically offer advice, on social media, to people who are grieving.
I “share” the bereavement posts of others on my social media.
I offer, on social media, to bring over food for the bereaved person.
I offer, on social media, to help with the funeral arrangements.
EA  Adult Participant’s Own Bereavement
I check to see if others have “liked” my post.
I read the replies others write to my bereavement posts.
I click “like” to posts that people write in response to my bereavement
post.
I respond to the posts that people write regarding my bereavement.
Posting about the loss of someone close to me had a positive effect on my
grieving.
The “likes” to my bereavement posts had a positive effect on my grieving.
The posts in reply to my bereavement posts had a positive effect on my
 (Significant differences by item shown in red.)
Introduction
People of all ages, but especially today’s emerging adults or ‘digital natives’, spend an increasing amount of time connecting, through their digital appendages, with others on social media sites (Bjornsen, 2015; Roberts, Yaya, & Manolis, 2014). Researchers have reported that sharing bereavement online can have a positive effect (Bell, Bailey, & Kennedy, 2015), little to no effect (van der Houwen, Stroebe, Schut, Stroebe, & van den Bout, 2010), or a combination of positive and negative effects on users (Rossetto, Lannutti, & Strauman, 2014). Communicating via social media affords the user the ability to share and respond to life events quickly and briefly, or at greater length and depth, depending on the user’s preference. We were interested in examining how the experience of connecting with others in the context of the loss of a loved one compared between younger and older adults.
Presented Sept 16/19, 2016 at the XV Biennial Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence, La Barrosa, Cádiz, Spain. Contact: