Is there a digital afterlife?

In the past, death and funerals used to be private affairs which involved only loved ones. However, with the advent of digitalisation, people today live in both the physical and digital worlds and have made death part of the digital realm. Nowadays, technology helps people live longer. However, disasters have led to numerous deaths such as the Sept 11 attacks, war, mass shootings and the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, society has turned to the digital world for managing mortality-related matters. To delve deeper into the concept of digital death, the Area-Based-Social Innovation Research Center at Mae Fah Luang University organised an online forum titled "Digital Death" to discuss its meaning and impact on society. Thikumphorn Singtomast, a research associate at the Center, explained the term digital death has been used since the late 1990s in the Western world. Digital transformatio...