Social media is a phenomenon of the 21st century. Even if you’re not a big fan of using it personally, the numbers tell the story:
- There are more than one billion active users on Facebook
- There are 974 million existing Twitter accounts
- 150 million people use Snapchat everyday
- There are 600 million active monthly users on Instagram
Nalley-Pickle & Welch has a vibrant Facebook community of our own that we would invite you to join. There you can learn about issues relevant to you and your family, find information about our services, connect with other like-minded people, and even leave a review of our funeral home.
Social media has changed the way we interact with our friends and family in many ways. It is challenging to find a corner of our lives that has not been touched in some way by its impact. Funerals are no exception. We have been serving families of Midland and Big Spring since 1937, so you can imagine the changes our firm have observed through the years. We have seen, firsthand, some of the ways social media has changed the way we say goodbye:
Communicating the News of a Death or Service Information Online
All of us can probably think of a time when we learned of someone’s passing on Facebook, whether it was someone we were acquainted with or a celebrity. Hopefully, this isn’t how you learned of the death of someone close to you, but the boundaries of what is acceptable communication on social media are pushed every day. It is more common to communicate service information on Facebook, typically by sharing an online obituary directly to a social media page. This is something we make easy to do with our online obituaries. During a time when the family and close friends are busy making arrangements and tending to out-of-town guests, it can make sharing the word much easier.
Taking Selfies
Believe it or not, selfies at funerals have grown into a huge fad. According to The Huffington Post, one in five millennials consider it appropriate to take a selfie during a funeral service. You might not agree that this is okay, but it’s something we see all the time. It’s also common for people to post it on their social media page, tagging the funeral home or “checking in” to the funeral home or cemetery’s location page, if one exists.
Honoring a Loved One’s Life Through Sharing About the Service
Beyond selfies, many people take pictures at the service. Particularly, if they have put a lot of time and effort into adding personalized details into the visitation, service, or reception. This is something we are experts at here at Nalley-Pickle & Welch. Whether it’s displaying a crafter’s beloved hand-made creations, a graveside service with full military honors, or serving someone’s favorite dessert at the post-service reception, sharing these personalized elements on social media is one more way to pay tribute to a loved one’s life and show how they are being honored in death.
For good or for bad, social media is here to stay. Our team is constantly looking for new ways it can be used to honor life and help families express their grief in healthy ways and connect with resources that are helpful to their healing process.