Digital Remains: Grief and Mourning in a Digitally Entangled World

Description

When someone dies today, they leave behind far more than physical belongings. Phones, messages, playlists, photos, and social media traces often remain — and these digital remains can come to play a powerful role in the everyday lives of those who mourn. In this public lecture, Visiting Professor Ylva Hård af Segerstad explores why the digital traces left behind by the deceased matter so deeply for those who live on. Drawing on her earlier research on digital remains and posthuman encounters with death, the talk shows how bereaved people engage with digital remains to maintain a sense of closeness, make sense of loss, and continue everyday routines and relationships after death. Digital remains are not just memories stored in the past; they can feel alive, responsive, and emotionally present - sometimes experienced as carrying something of the deceased person’s presence or “essence.” At the same time, these remains are fragile. Platforms change, devices break, accounts become inaccessible, and the fear of losing digital traces can itself become a new form of loss. Set against a broader backdrop of growing concerns about artificial intelligence, data reuse, ownership, and declining trust in digital systems, the lecture focuses on what is at stake for mourners when digital remains endure, disappear, or behave unpredictably. By centring the lived experiences of those who grieve, the talk invites reflection on how digital technologies are reshaping what it means to live with loss — and why digital remains are becoming an increasingly important, yet vulnerable, part of contemporary mourning. In this context, posthumanist means recognising how deeply everyday technologies are woven into our lives, and how the digital traces people leave behind can continue to matter emotionally and relationally after death.

Ylva Hård af Segerstad will be in conversation with Khadiza Lakor from the University of Bristol, please note, this event is in-person only. The talk is preceded by a Death and Crime walk around the City of Bath (5-6.15pm), which you would be very welcome to join, please sign up here: CDAS Death and Crime walk around the City of Bath – Fill in form.

Period	11 Mar 2026
Held at	Centre for Death and Society (CDAS)
Degree of Recognition	International