ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on preservers of digital media, who are those that use memories and artefacts to create a digital legacy, such as a memorial site or digitally immortal persona, and may include the deceased themselves before death. It explores survivors' creative, relational, and situated accounts of their dead. The book also explores the ways that an individual's and potentially evolving online presence or ‘digital legacy’ has the possibly of having an impact on the experiences of the bereaved and those who hope to provide them with emotional support. It presents research which tracks the longevity and failure of service providers and suggests the term digital endurance may be a more appropriate term for digital immortality.
