Paper Short Abstract:

This study explores the unwriting and rewriting of collective memory for fallen firefighters on social media, through an interdisciplinary perspective, examining how online places of memory emerge and evolve in crisis contexts and sheds light on digital mourning and public memory in virtual spaces.

Paper Abstract:

The digital age has reshaped how collective memory and identity are constructed, particularly through online places of memory for fallen firefighters. This study examines how social media unwrites and rewrites narratives of heroism, loss, and remembrance by creating virtual spaces of memory that bridge personal mourning with collective identity. Using interdisciplinary frameworks from Hard Sciences, Folklore Studies, Ethnography, and Anthropology, this paper investigates the formation and preservation of these online memorials, considering the stakeholders and participants who contribute to this digital commemoration process. Focusing on case studies from Greek Facebook groups such as "Seasonal Firefighters" and "Greek Fire Service”, this research analyses posts, user comments, and commemorative photographs, with a commitment to maintaining participant anonymity. The study utilizes a combination of keyword search and discourse analysis to reveal underlying themes, exploring how social media functions as a space for managing collective memory, religious practices, and expressions of grief in times of crisis and natural disasters. This work also employs digital ethnographic methods to approach these memorials as e-folklore, investigating interaction patterns and emotional expressions that surface in these shared spaces. In this unwriting of traditional memorialization, social media facilitates an ongoing reconstruction of public memory, with users often sharing reflections on natural disasters and communal loss through comments, visuals, and posts. This study thus reveals the role of digital platforms in shaping a dynamic, collective identity within the context of virtual memorial spaces.