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In the interest of full disclosure, I have texted
from a funeral. I sat by myself in the last pew, at least five rows away from
anyone else. I was texting my girlfriend two states away who couldn’t attend. I
figured if I didn’t disturb anyone and God didn’t strike me dead, my good
intentions were sufficient to justify my behavior.
But I have to admit that when I read Matthew Ingram’s
article What
I Learned While Live-Tweeting a Friend’s Funeral on Gigaom.com that it gave
me pause.
Ingram felt that live-tweeting was a tribute to his
friend, a long-time user of Twitter who was interested in social technology. He
also felt it fit his friend’s sense of humor, and the family agreed. And the
funeral was already being live-streamed online.
There have been instances before of reporters texting
and tweeting from funerals they’re covering. Is that worse than filming? Is
tweeting different than taking notes by hand?
As you might imagine, the comments on Gigaom were
passionate on both sides of the appropriateness of Ingram’s actions. “Disrespectful”
and “Brilliant” were typical responses, and everything in between.
What do you think?
Is nothing sacred? Are we truly obsessed with
sharing online?
Or is Twitter an opportunity for friends and family
around the world to connect to the final tribute for someone they love?
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