I defended my doctoral thesis on internet death rituals three years ago.
Why do you want to present this speech?
I feel, that after this long process of research I have the responsibility to share these results with others. People, specially here in Finland, have very persistent prejudices about people who mourn death via the internet. My research proves these prejudices and stereotypes to be the opposite of expectations and as a researcher, I feel it’s my responsibility to reveal my findings.
The TED-concept is very respected among academic circles, so I also applied to speak at TEDxTurku to succeed myself. I want to do this as well as I can and tell the world that there are many ways to mourn and remember those who have passed away.
Who should hear your speech?
Everyone who uses the internet, even if it’s just for paying bills. Everyone should understand that this technology isn’t going anywhere.
Anna Haverinen has a background in cultural anthropology, archaeology and museum studies, which lead to a passionate interest to death rituals. In her ethnographic PhD. study, she examined extensively why, how and where people mourn and honor online. Currently she is working as a Design Anthropologist at a Finnish design and development agency Taiste.
