In the Newspaper: MyDeathSpace

I am something of a newspaper addict. Many people now get their news online, I know, but I still like to read the old fashioned paper copy that appears on my front walk every morning. Like the crazy guy in "Heart of Darkness," I am ritualistic about how I approach my daily friend. First I scan the front section, and even read the articles that catch my eye, time permitting. Next I look at the editorial page, which is in the 2nd section. I allow myself to read the editorial cartoons, but just look at the headlines of the columns and put the section aside for later. Then I briefly glance at the local section, checking out columns there and maybe glancing the TV guide. The rest is saved for later when I continue with my orderly march through the paper. I will spare any readers that progression....All this is to say that every single day I see things in the paper related to technology that are worth exploring or discussing. Often I then mention them with students via Blackboard Discussion Board. It occurred to me to sometimes mention things gleaned from the paper in this forum as well.

Here is one: Much has been made of the way young people reacted to the Virginia Tech shootings by going to MySpace. This, to me, is one way that social networking can be beneficial. Yesterday I read in the paper about a sub-group of MySpace called MyDeathSpace. I got the feeling that this subgroup was well known, but I had never heard of it. Wikipedia explains that this site offers information about MySpace account holders who have died. I paid it a visit. While this site might sound a bit macabre, I found it to be in good taste. Not only did it offer links to MySpace users who were killed, which includes most of the students, but also to pages for other victims. I was interested in Dr. Liviu Librescu, for instance, and clicking on his picture took me to his faculty web page. Since I often pay visits to professors' web pages, seeing his somehow made him more real to me. I read about his publications, awards, and courses taught. Even though he was clearly a senior faculty member, he was pulling a full load with four classes this spring. Of course this led me to think about those classes, and how all his students must feel.

Next I moved on and visited a student's page. I was taken by the ebullient picture of Erin Peterson, just 18 and a VT freshman. Her page reflected the outgoing personality displayed in her picture. Reading her bio and the comments posted there was a touching reminder of the fragility of life. For some reason, even more moving than the tributes were the "normal everyday" comments that she probably had read shortly before her death as she and her friends communicated via MySpace.

I can certainly see how Internet places like this serve a special and valuable role in helping all of us, and especially young, technology savvy people, remember and grieve lost loved ones. If you have not paid a visit to MyDeathSpace, here is the link:

http://mydeathspace.com/