Funeral Homes Offer Growing Number of Webcasts

So social media, and its pervasion, has almost made it impossible for us to keep our lives private, but now we may also traverse the Internet while dead? You’ve got to be kidding me.

As the penetration of Web-based technologies has more of an impact on our lives and culture than most of us are willing to admit, they have grown so far as to impact the funeral industry. The New York Times recently reported of a growing trend of webcasting funerals, a controversial topic amongst Americans aware of it.

Celebrity-related funerals have oft been a subject of popularity on the Web, but is it different when it’s an intimate member of your family? How about when the six victims of the Tucson killings recently garnered thousands of viewers to their memorial service streamed on the Internet? The question of privacy and intimacy during a funeral has been raised by the display of them on the public domain as of late.

A few companies have initiated software programs that make it easy for funeral homes to reach out to grieving families. FuneralOne, based out of Michigan, noted a trend in the number of funeral homes broadcasting via the Web increasing to 1,053.

Joseph Joachim, founder of FuneralOne stated, “We are in a YouTube (News - Alert) society now. People are living more than ever online, and this reflects that.”

Some are comforted by this new trend in online funerals, and others are disturbed. While those who feel as though a funeral should be a private event bemoan this development, people who cannot attend a funeral because of travel restrictions, etc., are mostly gladdened by this advancement in technology.

On a different note, will the broadcasting of funerals effectively lessen the sadness of those family and friend members close to the deceased because they do not have to actually stand at the grave of those whom they loved? Or will it just contribute to the overall detachment we have with family and friends as our real-life relationships become more relegated to the Web?

Juliana Kenny graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double degree in English and French. After managing a small company for two years, she joined TMC (News - Alert) as a Web Editor for TMCnet. Juliana currently focuses on the call center and CRM industries, but she also writes about cloud telephony and network gear including softswitches.

Edited by Juliana Kenny