Publication: Griefbots. A New Way of Communicating With The Dead?
Date
2022-03-16
Authors
Brescó de Luna, Ignacio
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Access rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
There is a growing number of new digital technologies mediating the experiences of
grief and the continuing bonds between the bereaved and their loved ones following
death. One of the most recent technological developments is the “griefbot”. Based
on the digital footprint of the deceased, griefbots allow two-way communication
between mourners and the digital version of the dead through a conversational interface
or chat. This paper explores the mediational role that griefbots might have
in the grieving process vis-à-vis that of other digital technologies, such as social
media services or digital memorials on the Internet. After briefly reviewing the
new possibilities offered by the Internet in the way people relate with the dead, we
delve into the particularities of griefbots, focusing on the two-way communication
afforded by this technology and the sense of simulation derived from the virtual
interaction between the living and the dead. Discussion leads us to emphasize that,
while both the Internet and griefbots bring about a significant spatial and temporal
expansion to the grief experience –affording a more direct way to communicate
with the dead anywhere and at any time– they differ in that, unlike the socially
shared virtual space between mourners and loved ones in most digital memorials,
griefbots imply a private conversational space between the mourner and the
deceased person. The paper concludes by pointing to some ethical issues that griefbots,
as a profit-oriented afterlife industry, might raise for both mourners and the
dead in our increasingly digital societies.
Description
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Springer in "Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 57, 466–481", available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-022-09679-3
Este es el manuscrito aceptado del artículo publicado por Springer en "Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science Volume 57, 466–481", disponible en línea: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-022-09679-3
UNESCO Categories
Keywords
Griefbots, Grief, Mourning, Continuing bonds, Mediation, Death, Digital footprint, Digital immortality, Chatbots, Cultural psychology
Citation
Jiménez-Alonso, B., Brescó de Luna, I. Griefbots. A New Way of Communicating With The Dead?. Integr. psych. behav. 57, 466–481 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-022-09679-3
Center
Facultades y escuelas::Facultad de Psicología
Department
Psicología Básica I