Announcing your imminent demise on facebook

[moshquerade]

Just seems weird that a guy on my friend's list today posted that he has stomach cancer, it has spread, and he's hoping to get out of the hospital in to hospice care to basically come home to die. He said he's hoping for a few more quality days. :\

What do you say to that? Would you announce something like that to all your friends on facebook or bare the task of calling them to deliver the bad news?

 

[Bateluer]

I don't think I'd tell anyone, except those that would be required to know. Make the most of the time I have left.

 

[LumbergTech]

it gives more people a chance to speak some final words if they so desire

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Get attention

 

[KingGheedora]

Yet another person just posting useless drivel on FaceBook to get attention. Man, no one cares if you like Lucky Charms or if you have stomach cancer! Have no idea how that site grew to 500 million.

 

[dardarla]

He's probably scared, too scared to make a dozen phone calls to friends who need to know. After he passes, many of those friends would wonder, why didn't he tell me?

Maybe it's not tackful, not the best way to tell people... but in times of need you need to spread information fast, as sad as it is, facebook allows that.

I remember when a friend died I was calling people in a haste so that they wouldn't have to find out through facebook, but the truth is, no matter how you find out it's still gonna suck.

This guy has a couple days to live, that not time to reach out to people he hasn't talked to in a long time or distance family and maybe even friends who may or may not know what to say/do. This way those who feel the need to say or do something can.

I don't know if I would do the same thing or something else should something like this happen to me, you never really know what you're gonna do until you are forced to face it.

 

[moshquerade]

Yet another person just posting useless drivel on FaceBook to get attention. Man, no one cares if you like Lucky Charms or if you have stomach cancer! Have no idea how that site grew to 500 million.

Actually... I find your take on this strange.

Facebook is a social network. Just like we do here, on facebook people socialize and that is all about sharing what is going on with their life.

 

[lupi]

keyword "facebook"

 

[MJinZ]

Remind me to never get Indigesgation or lose appetite for meat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomach_cancer#Signs_and_symptoms

Oh and it seems like a fairly efficient way of telling everyone you know you're going to die.

However, I might be worried because I would think a normal person would have better things to do than update their Facebook Status with a few days left.

 

[xSauronx]

Just seems weird that a guy on my friend's list today posted that he has stomach cancer, it has spread, and he's hoping to get out of the hospital in to hospice care to basically come home to die. He said he's hoping for a few more quality days. :\

What do you say to that? Would you announce something like that to all your friends on facebook or bare the task of calling them to deliver the bad news?

i probably wouldnt post it to facebook...id almost certainly send a blackberry message though

 

[mizzou]

what's just as wierd is seeing a dead friends active facebook profile and then having it suggested as a friend to you

 

[Malak]

All your friends will die, but very few you'll get a real chance to say goodbye. Make the most of it.

 

[sandorski]

I thought this was gonna be a Challenge or something. You know, like a Mass joke against Facebook.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Just seems weird that a guy on my friend's list today posted that he has stomach cancer, it has spread, and he's hoping to get out of the hospital in to hospice care to basically come home to die. He said he's hoping for a few more quality days. :\

What do you say to that? Would you announce something like that to all your friends on facebook or bare the task of calling them to deliver the bad news?

Not sure how you respond to that particular situation, but people post weird crap on facebook all the time.

Take my sister in laws step daughter (I know, complicated family situation). She is 18, and has been dating the same dude for ~3 years. A few weeks ago, she posted that She was now single and back on the market. In fact, nothing happened to her relationship and it was still going strong. This week, she posted that she was now engaged to her BF. Again, a lie.

Seriously, WTF? How desperate for attention can you be?

But as to the cancer update, I dunno. In my book, someone in that position can do whatever the heck they want. If I had terminal cancer, I would eat icecream for every meal while playing golf half naked at the local country club every day. Noboday wants to throw out cancer guy.

 

[freejumps]

sad

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I'd notice if one stopped showing up for beers but, I'd never know it if one of my friends posted it on FaceBook.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Maybe he is just trying to disappear?

Ahearn spoke of the electronic trail and digital footprint most of us have with social media profiles. Even if you delete that profile, we don't know for sure what a company does with that data. Ahearn suggests to start deviating your information, slowly changing it over to bogus information which will be picked up by other sites, until you can fake your online death.

 

[Ika]

I'd tell someone I loved them and I'm sorry, then disappear.

 

[Ns1]

Bring him the biggest blunt ever.