On Snapchat and the Collective Mourning of Chester Bennington

Allison Diamond
Jul 21, 2017 · 2 min read

I am a huge fan of Linkin Park, and was so sad to learn of the death of lead singer Chester Bennington, allegedly by suicide. Any time a greatly appreciated and well-known person dies, there is an outpouring of grief on social media. When the death is caused by suicide, there is an added layer of grief for the life cut short and for the family, friends and fans who have lost an impactful presence in their lives. And so it is with Chester Bennington, the frontman of a group of creative giants.

I read an interesting opinion piece on Politico.com* that mourning on social media “cheapens” the experience of grieving because an expression of grief may be preceded by a mundane post about someone’s breakfast or followed by a political joke. Another perception was that people try to “out-sad” each other, and that the truly grieving would not take to social media as soon as the death is announced.

I agree and disagree. My emotions when a celebrity dies have included anger, shock, deep sorrow, and gratitude for their existence. Our reactions are highly personal, but sharing them publicly with other grieving individuals can feel very supportive. There’s a catharsis in sharing grief — particularly in a creative way- with people sharing similar emotions about the death. Some of us express ourselves through art — poetry, music, imagery- and I don’t think it is for anyone to judge whether someone is sincere in their expression.

As a fan of Linkin Park and someone who truly appreciates their art, I sought the reactions of other fans on social media, and Snapchat in particular, because I wanted the experience of celebrating what Chester left for us. Snapchat proves to be an amazing chronicler of Bennington and Linkin Park’s work and of the people touched by their music and message. I’ve seen group stories from people from Indiana to India filled with Linkin Park songs and expressions of sadness.

The stories I viewed range from simple snaps stating RIP Chester Bennington to full-on artistic video renderings of his music. But most videos are simply of people driving along the world’s streets with Linkin Park playing on the car stereo.

It feels good to see and hear people from around the world sharing their love and gratitude for Bennington’s artistry, and I am thankful that Snapchat’s platform encourages this type of togetherness and collective expression. I find the public outpouring of sentiment to be a wonderful group memorial, not a cheapening of Bennington’s life or of the expression of grief. I think Bennington would have agreed.

*Politico post: http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/08/on-social-media-and-collective-mourning-193800

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Allison Diamond

Creator of Snapdays & The Worldharmony Project, social media platforms aimed at eliminating intolerance through global storytelling. @worldharmony @snapdays_bot

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