My initial thesis proposal

Feel free to download my initial thesis proposal on digital memorialization here. I'm looking at collective memory and how participatory culture can shape it through digital memorials.

Memorialization and the act of mourning have taken on new dimensions as society looks to digital spaces to collectively mourn and commemorate events centered around death. My thesis will explore how digital memorials contribute to and have the potential to change the collective memory of the landscape of tragedy. I will also observe the role of rituals surrounding mourning in these spaces, how rituals in non-virtual spaces translate to digital memorials, and what new rituals may be emerging. Also central to my thesis is the role of participatory culture, and whether or not it democratizes memorial space shifting power from large organizations and committees to the public. I will focus on specific examples of digital memorialization, or a specific tragedy and its digital memorials and place these within the context of collective memory and participatory culture.