Cybermemorials: Remembrance and Places of Memory in the Digital Age

Abstract

The rise of user-generated media culture and the diffusion of digital tech-nologies have contributed to the production of new forms of mnemonic practices thatcoexist with, enhance, or altogether replace traditional memorial sites.Cybermemorials range from virtual spaces on the Internet, such as webpagesand social media platforms, to physical memorials enhanced by means of digitalartefacts and mixed-reality technologies. While the design and scope of these newforms of collective memorialization can vary significantly, they display formal anal-ogies and reflect a general trend towards a de-institutionalization of commemora-tion through spontaneous participation, emotion, and feeling.The prosumer culture generated by digital media offers new possibilities to buildnarratives around historical events and collaboratively construct public memory.Through interactive communication platforms, digital memorials are able to simulta-neously address a global audience, enticing new forms of democratic participationand understanding.