Ippolito discusses social media etiquette related to grief in BDN article
Jon Ippolito, a new media professor at the University of Maine, was interviewed by the Bangor Daily News for the article, “Experts say to respect ‘hierarchy of grief’ with death and social media.” “Facebook is increasingly the venue for older generations,” Ippolito said. But while younger adults who have grown up with social media more intuitively grasp the subtleties of online privacy, discretion and etiquette, he said, older users sometimes fail to observe basic guidelines when it comes to posting personal information. Ippolito said when it comes to spreading the news about a death, it’s important to defer to what is sometimes referred to as the “hierarchy of grief.” That means allowing the next of kin to take the lead in how and when the death is announced, the article states. In other words, unless you are the immediate next of kin, Ippolito said, “it’s not about you.” Detailed conversations, questions and family news about the death or funeral plans should be kept offline, the article states. Ippolito suggests starting a private Facebook group, open by permission, and limiting access to those who need to be involved.