I haven't asked my friends and family what they might include in my grave but I thought about a few things I might want included. As I was thinking about this, I came to a conclusion that I hadn't thought of before. All of the things that I wanted were meant to let people know who I was, and more specifically, how I wanted people to see me. This doesn't sound very far off from the ways we use social media in presenting our identity to our close family and friends, as well as any person with an internet connection. We present the best side of ourselves -- witty statuses, photogenic pictures, 'likes' that supposedly give people (and corporations now) an impression of our interests. For many, social media is like an advertisement of our best aspects and how we'd like people to think of us as.
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| Photo credit: http://www.hastac.org/groups/digital-archaeology-and-ancient-history |
Now, going back to burial goods, the things that I thought of including -- just off the top of my head -- were really not far off from the way myself and others choose to present ourselves online. The goods I thought of besides family mementos/keepsakes were all things like music, books, travel souvenirs etc. that I'm really crazy about. All of these things might be listed as likes on Facebook or possibly be seen on other social media sites I go on. This really made me think about just how similar my physical record could be to my digital record that will be inevitably left behind. In the end, I found it hard to think of my family and friends leaving books, CDs, and other oddities behind with me. For myself, I think I'd stick to the boring old personal and family mementos that I already have and will keep accumulating throughout life. Only a close circle of relatives and friends should be able to understand their meaning and significance to myself and our relationships. HOWEVER, I'm sure I could play some very cruel pranks with future archaeologists, and that too, is very tempting!
