"In exploring virtual mourning practices and their implications for death consumption in general, new questions in the field of consumer research emerge. It is hoped that once we gain some understanding of how online mourning practices illuminate notions of ‘materiality’ and/or ‘embodiment’ ... in the context of death and dying, we can begin to delineate what is actually new about this phenomenon and what the differences are between online and pre-digital behaviours in the context of the consumption of death. On this basis, then, we can then proceed to ask how consumers’ behaviours of digital death consumption are likely to change in the future. In the rest of this chapter, I explore key insights into the consumption of death in consumer society today, drawing connections between notions of materiality in physical worlds as well as virtual worlds. I draw upon a number of key disciplines for their insights into these issues: sociology (for theories of the desire to perpetuate the tension between ephemeral pleasures and the finality of death); philosophy and anthropology (for an understanding of how we frame embodiment and imagine ‘materiality’ through the performance of mourning rituals) and computer science (for conceptualizations of interactions on virtual worlds)." (Page 397) more

"To conclude, current Internet-based innovations, including Web 2.0 tools and the wherewithal to use these tools, have given consumers a new form of freedom, and voice. As such, they are more apt to start campaigns, expose social injustices, and demand change from the institutions concerned. We cont ... end that activism in the online realm may contribute to creating a more empowered consumer who participates to the degree that he or she is able. While this ease of participation and the ability to start consumer campaigns from one’s home computer have added to the social conscience and social awareness of society, they have introduced new conundrums to contemplate. One wonders whether the plethora of petitions and viral videos on behalf of various causes have the desired effects or whether they confuse matters. After all, if there are 259 Facebook pages calling for stringent GMO policies, which one does the consumer join? Perhaps the most important contribution of this chapter is to be a starting point for additional empirical research on the various questions surrounding online consumer activism." (Page 364) more

"Adopting emerging technologies easily, spending a large proportion of time online and multitasking are signs of the increasingly digital nature of our everyday lives. Yet consumer research is just beginning to emerge on how this affects basic human and consumer behaviours such as attention, learnin ... g, communications, relationships, entertainment and knowledge. The Routledge Companion to Digital Consumption offers an introduction to the perspectives needed to rethink consumer behaviour in a digital age that we are coming to take for granted and which therefore often escapes careful research and reflective critical appraisal." (Publisher description) more