How do we survive loss when the physical body is gone, but their words and thoughts—in the form of a digital footprint—remain? This essay takes an autoethnographic approach to this question by juxtaposing the author’s thoughts and reflections with her deceased mother’s blogs. In doing so, they discuss their relationship, remember shared experiences together, and reflect on what it means to have someone die when their so-called “digital souls” live on permanently. The essay concludes by asking how we, as individuals, should address the problem of what to do with our digital remains, and how future bereaved people will make use of digital footprints that the dead leave behind.

Keywords:
bereavement, blogs, continuing bonds, death, dying, family relationships, grief, mother–daughter relationships
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2022
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