ABSTRACT
The use of technology plays an important role in the grieving and coping process of adolescents, acting as a lifeline among adolescents, and especially among those who have experienced loss, grief, and trauma. Social norms and values get defined by social media, such as Facebook, where adolescents can immediately turn to their friends and peers to reference their reactions. Adolescents are heavy users of electronic communication to include many forms such as cell phones, email, and text messaging. A person's Facebook page can exist well beyond the person's death, it can be viewed as a virtual grave marker. Sofka refers to adolescents' use of technology in grief-related circumstances as 'thanatechnology'. The concept of continuing bonds was initially proposed by Klass, Silverman, and Nickman, who view it as a healthy and normative response. Kasket summarizes the reasons that people, particularly adolescent digital natives, use Facebook as a modern-day medium of continuing bonds with the deceased.
