Would everybody access obituaries online? Not necessarily
This week I spoke with a 22-year-old friend who is quite atypical in terms of her use of the Internet for someone of her age. When asked about Legacy and whether she would consider writing in a guestbook of someone who passed away, she said she “would definitely prefer to get a card and personally write it and send it as opposed to something online.” When asked where she would search for information on the grieving process, if she felt she needed it, I anticipated the answer to be search on Google. Instead she said she would go to the local hospital and see if they have resources there.
It surprised me greatly that someone my age, who should be used to the online world and technology by now, should prefer to do things in such a traditional way. I suppose that people born now will be much more immersed in technology as they grow up, but not all people in their early twenties are as comfortable with computers as I thought. This is something we should consider when imagining how obituaries could work better online, that some people, even young people, still prefer the traditional.
I found an interesting difference in how Tributes.com and Legacy.com displayed a recent AP article about the passing of South African anti-apartheid activist Frans “Ting-Ting” Masango. Take a look at