iGrieve: Re-Examining Public Mourning Over the Death of Steve Jobs

This study explores how social media transformed public mourning and eulogistic practices after the death of Apple CEO Steve Jobs in October 2011. While global tributes from leaders and media highlighted his legacy, social media uniquely enabled spontaneous, collective expressions of grief, admiration, and identification from ordinary users. Using concepts of parasocial interaction and hyperpersonal communication, the research reveals how brief, user-generated posts coalesced into a communal eulogy-like narrative, incorporating classical rhetorical strategies such as praise, emotional disclosure, references to the afterlife, and maintenance of interactive bonds. Applying Kunkel and Dennis’ (2003) eulogy framework, the study finds that these elements were reinterpreted in a digital context, democratizing participation and expanding the spatial and temporal boundaries of mourning. Social media allowed individuals worldwide to share personal feelings, redefine traditional eulogistic roles, and contribute to collective memory. Despite diminished emphasis on personal credibility or direct acquaintance, the essential purpose of eulogies—offering solace, preserving memory, and fostering communal identity—remained intact. The findings underscore the resilience of epideictic rhetoric as it adapts to interactive, user-driven platforms, illustrating how digital technologies reshape conventional mourning practices and create enduring archives of communal grief and admiration.