A Facebook profile can function as a space for mourning, which is broadly defined as any outward expression of grief.5 It can also become a memorial object created, whether purposefully or accidentally, as an act of memory preservation.

References to the deceased user as “in heaven,” “up there,” and “with us in spirit” are common, indicating hope that not only may the dead person observe the activities of the living, she or he also may view digital messages about those events.