The Changing Deathscape: Death and Grief in the Digital Age

As more of our lives take place online, technology is also changing how we experience death, express grief, preserve memories, and remain connected to people who have died.

This live online class offers an accessible overview of the changing “deathscape”—the expanding digital world surrounding death, mourning, remembrance, and end-of-life planning. Through real examples, including social media memorials, virtual funerals, AI chatbots, holographic tributes, and digital legacy planning, you will explore how technology is reshaping long-established practices and creating entirely new ones.

Together, we will consider:

• How death announcements, memorials, and rituals are moving online—and what that means for families and communities
• The growing role of online spaces in grief and remembrance
• Emerging technologies that recreate, preserve, or simulate a person’s presence
• Questions involving consent, privacy, data ownership, misinformation, and cultural inclusion
• How these tools can be approached with sensitivity, fairness, and respect

The goal is not to promote or reject these technologies, but to understand how they are changing contemporary experiences of death and grief. By the end of the session, you will have a clearer understanding of the possibilities, concerns, and choices emerging within this rapidly evolving landscape.

The class is open to everyone; no previous knowledge or professional experience is required.

Registration includes a certificate for 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs).

All proceeds from this class directly support the Center for Death Education’s nonprofit mission to make accurate, compassionate education about death, dying, grief, and end-of-life care accessible and affordable.