Commemoration, Rhythm and the Problem of Charismatic Succession
C. Stage
2017
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Key Takeaway Key Takeaway: Social media platforms transform into sites of commemoration, mourning, and digital heritage maintenance after the death of bloggers, challenging existing notions of what a deceased human being is and can do.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the role of social media platforms that transform from being about sharing illness narratives to being sites of commemoration, mourning and digital heritage maintenance after the death of the blogger. Inspired by recent developments in death studies, posthuman theories and material participation, the chapter shows how the platforms challenge existing notions of what a deceased human being is and can do. The article uses Henri Lefebvre’s rhythm-analytical approach to show the way the platforms allow for the continuation and re-actualization of the bloggers’ life rhythms, even after their death, turning the bloggers into socially present subjects post-mortem. A point, which is supported by the comments the bloggers “receive” post-mortem. These commemorative practices challenge a simple binary between the continuity of life and the discontinuity of death in favour of a logic of “a-liveness”, where continuity is mixed with discontinuity, presence with absence. The chapter concludes by investigating the problem of succession that the relatives face after the death of the blogger. This is done through Max Weber’s concept of charisma and his typology of ways to succeed the charismatic leader; for instance through “hereditary charisma” (letting a family member take over) or by the transformation of charismatic authority into either rational-legal or traditional forms of authority.