And when I went in on my Facebook page today, I noticed I had a friend suggestion for someone who I happened to know is deceased. Now unless Mark Zuckerberg, (the billionaire who owns Facebook) has been able to reach into the after-life due to his intellect, celebrity or wealth, or some other commodity he possesses more of than I do, I don't think Facebook is actually going to be connecting me with any of the recently departed, though it did make the offer.
Which brings me to an interesting topic: Electronic contacts to and for people that have passed on--what should we do?
One can't expect the dearly departed to cancel their Facebook ahead of time. There's several good reasons for this. One: They might not have known they were getting ready to enter the great beyond therefore they would not have known they even needed to cancel. Two: If they did know the end was near, closing their account on Facebook might not have been their biggest concern.
Now, it so happens that both of the deceased people who I've been contacted about becoming friends with, were acquaintances I did not know very well so besides receiving a mild shock at the temerity of those "gone to a better place" to assume they still have Facebook privileges, I've been able to handle the occasional grave request (I couldn't resist) with aplomb. But the issue I'm concerned most about is what about those who receive such requests from people they were very close to who have passed on? Do they have to delete them from their account as friends? That seems pretty callous. And if they do, will they get occasional reminders that their loved one is someone they "might" want to become friends with?
It's all quite disconcerting.
And haven't we all read those spooky emails that tell of someone receiving a message on Facebook from their loved one after he or she has passed on? Kind of makes you want to close your Facebook account altogether.
Well, if Zuckerberg happens to be reading this, (it could happen) let me say a few words of encouragement. Losing two billion dollars in one day might make for a bad day unless you put it into perspective. At least you're not asking people if they will be your friend after you have crossed the great divide!
And that's the view from this catbird seat…