ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the techniques and technologies that have evolved through history for bestowing immortality on individuals, and examine these in the light of the ever more crowded world of contemporary celebrity. It also discusses a number of different sets of motives for immortalising figures, dead and alive, whether to satisfy nationalistic, economic or sentimental purposes. With modern media technology, the opportunities for symbolic immortality have exploded to the point where social media potentially immortalises us all. Immortality can be bestowed on an individual the moment part of their person, a recognisable representation of their face, a name on a street or building, or a recording of their voice, is released into material culture through some form of communication medium. Alternatively the person may be housed in another human body, in the form of impersonation. Either way, the experience for the honoured individual is that of replication.
