Virtually observing who virtually observes the dead: an online
ethnography
Andréia Martins
Abstract
Bizarre, morbid, useless and curious: these and other adjectives have been used in
order to characterize an online Brazilian community named "Dead People Profiles"
(Profiles de Gente Morta) that lasted from 2004 to 2012. The "PGM", as it is called
by its users in Portuguese, belonged to a very popular social network in Brazil, the
Orkut, and is one of the objects of this paper, a short but deep and detailed
ethnography. The PGM was a forum for discussion and constant remembrance of
death, since it listed the profiles of Orkut users that have already died. The
community was very organized and had a list of guidelines that should be observed
before one posted the profile of a dead person. Each reported death had to be
placed in a topic where the link for the profile and the cause of death was specified.
We call it an "Online and Real-Time Obituary" and it has migrated to Facebook in
the beginning of 2012. It was also as a tool for increasing popularity on dealing
with different approaches on the end of life. A practice that is still at the forefront
of Brazilian funeral services, the Virtual Wake, was popularized by a
topic created on the community and became an independent one, also in Orkut,
called "Virtual Wakes". The "Virtual Wakes" community is our second object
because it is specialized on providing links for virtual wakes of people they never
knew in their lives. During the visualization of a Virtual Wake, that is a regular
wake transmitted in real time, via streaming, the community members use the
forum for describing what they are seeing and make comments about personal
thoughts on life and death. Both communities were observed during 9 months and
this paper intends to demonstrate how they work.
Key words: Anthropology, virtuality, online ethnography, death, wake, profile,
virtual community.
*****
1. Introduction
On April 24, 2012, came to an end the largest Brazilian community about
death on the social networking site Orkut. After eight years of frenzied operation,
eighty thousand members could no longer contribute to the posts of the community
entitled Dead People Profiles, or DPP (PGM in Portuguese, for Profiles de Gente
2 Virtually observing who virtually observes the dead: an online ethnography
__________________________________________________________________
Morta1). In their threads were listed Orkut users who had died, providing the link
to the profile of each one of them, demonstrating the cause of death, if possible, to
corroborate the authenticity of the event. Since 2004, participants debated, after
visiting these profiles of dead people, about life, about its fragility and, of course,
about their own death. In cases of suicide, common and reported with great
frequency by friends and relatives of the victims, were debated issues such as
psychological problems, the will to live and religious debates always came up.
The PGM, superficially, worked like any other community in Orkut. It an owner,
that is, the person responsible for its creation. On April 28, 2008 2, Orkut
implemented the ability to add co-owners to support its operation and prevent theft
by hackers. The PGM has not adopted this practice, but rather to the moderators,
which became three3.
The PGM environment, in almost everything, is perfectly identical to
others of the same type: a virtual community comprised of people who share the
same interest and there discuss the various possible developments of this matter.
But in this case, what we see is a steady parade of ways to die. Car accident,
murder, suicide and diseases are the main causes of deaths of those individuals that
99% of the members of the community never knew in their lives. They never met
or shared any kind of information. Only one of them died and the other, the
participant of the community, quietly put his name next to so many others who
have been died since 2004 and are listed there.
It is difficult to find, today, a Brazilian surfer who has never entered into
Orkut. For personal reasons or aversion to fads, we can list those who refused to
keep a profile on the networking site, but it is almost impossible that this individual
never even seen its interface. With the proposal to strengthen ties of friendship and
create new friends through interaction via messages, photos and videos, as well as
discussion of various subjects in so-called "communities", the popularity of the site
has progressed geometrically in Brazil between January 20044 and August , 20105.
Communities, discussion forums that include any subject are taken, until today, as
the biggest attraction of the social network. You can cover virtually any subject in
their fields, from sports, cooking, movies and sexual preferences. For this
flexibility, Orkut has been the target of lawsuits involving incitement to pedophilia,
piracy, and racial discrimination6.
Now, if the range of discussion topics is so extensive that it looked to
unlawful, it is fair to allow the approach of a very noble one: death. The PGM is
the target of this ethnography as a space for discussion and constant remembrance
of death, but also a tool to increase discussion for different approaches in the
treatment of end of life. A practice that is still at the forefront of funeral services,
the Virtual Wake, was popularized by a thread created on PGM, and became an
independent community. It is because of this fact that the PGM is so important to
our study.
Bizarre, morbid, vain, curious: these words and many others have been
used to try to characterize it, and quickly gained fame outside the realm of Orkut 7.
Andréia Martins
3
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Treated as a main character of articles in newspapers8 and national magazines9,
quoted in premium TV programs10, websites and blogs with technological
editorials11 and alluded by relatives12 of dead people who have their profiles posted
there, the PGM, for a long time, was the target of constant curiosity.
However, Orkut is not as popular as before13. Most users canceled their
accounts; many communities no longer exist or are completely inactive. In spite of
that, the number of participants in this community remained stable, even increasing
in some periods, until its demise in May 2012. While other communities were
closed, the PGM remained strong, with updates in every hour.
2. What is the PGM
According to the description of the community, its primary purpose is
researching and cataloging profiles of Orkut users who have died.
For this feature, we interpret the PGM as a "real-time obituary" (Martins, 2009; 47)
in an analysis performed on another occasion. The format has not changed, despite
the many changes in the layout of the social network, and it still had well-defined
operating guidelines.
As stated earlier, the PGM was established in December 2004 and
gathered curious about death since then, accounting, at its end, more than eighty
thousand participants14. Because of its delicate contents, participation requires
approval by a moderator. One of the moderators is the creator of the community,
which relies on the help of three other people to manage it. Participants actively
contribute to the creation and updating of 77 threads per day. Between July 18 and
August 18, 2011, were computed over 250 new members15.
Although the goal explicated in the description of the community is the
listing of the profiles of Orkut users who have already died, the topics discussed
there cover the entire spectrum related to death, also corresponding to the questions
presented here.
3.
Rules of Operation - Standardization
One of the most prominent characteristics of the PGM is it's organization.
The community works according to a set of rules laid down by the moderator.
Since it has so many daily posts, standardization is necessary for the proper
functioning of the community. The parameters that must be followed are set out on
a topic in another community called PGM Moderation, for the exclusive use of the
moderators. However, there is a link on the home page of the PGM, which directs
the parties to the normative parameters in question. These parameters are
reproduced below:
[[[Rules of PGM]]]
4 Virtually observing who virtually observes the dead: an online ethnography
__________________________________________________________________
Please read carefully our rules. They are radically met there in
PGM and it is important that it is common knowledge, so that
there would be no problems later. As it follows: Fake Death
(fake) - Forbidden and the author is expelled. If someone
helped on the trick, is also banned. Topics outside the subject
(IT, or Inutile Topic) - Allowed. But can be deleted. The
chances are great. About 95% of these topics are deleted,
otherwise the community will be full of varied subjects,
leaving the profiles in the background. Think carefully and use
common sense before posting a topic without profile. But be
aware that it may be deleted. If 95% are excluded, chances of
yours being deleted as well. Who decides to delete it or not is
the moderation team. There is no rule for how to write ANY
type of topic and also there is no way to open a poll before you
delete EVERY topic. Therefore it is up to the moderation to
decide whether it should be deleted or not. Topics with
Posthumous Tributes and communities of the deceased Please do not post. Will be deleted. Shocking Pictures and
Videos - Forbidden.
Do not post anything with heavy content such as pictures and
videos of dead people and other oddities. Most people are not
here to see this. Offenses - Prohibited. We do not tolerate
insults to other members, the deceased, relatives and
moderation. Even in the chat destined topic. If you are
offended, do not respond, otherwise you will be penalized as
well. Just tell moderation, put the link to the offense and if
possible the printscreen of it. Wait until action is taken. The
moderation will decide whether it is or is not an offense.
Respect the moderation's decision and have patience. The
PGM is not a fighting environment and if you do not feel
comfortable with this type of rule, feel free to withdraw
yourself from the community. Chat (Chat) - Allowed only on
the topic of chat. Within topics that contain profiles, stay on
the subject. If the conversation starts to change direction, go to
chat to avoid problems. Lack of Respect - Prohibited and may
cause expulsion.
Any lack of respect for the families and the deceased is not
allowed in PGM, giving full opening for moderation to delete
the post and maybe the member. Religious and Political
Discussion - Allowed in moderation. Avoid radicalism and
keep respect when posting your opinion. Fanatics often mean
trouble, and because of this problem will be banned.
Advertising - Prohibited and may cause expulsion. It is
forbidden to advertise other communities, products,
companies, etc ... Judging a deceased - Allowed with restraint.
Careful with your judgments, try not to disrespect the
deceased, thereby infringing the rule of Lack of Respect.
Andréia Martins
5
__________________________________________________________________
It is the moderation's job to tell if a person crossed the line or
not. A member that causes confusion - Members that often
cause confusion for any reason are not interesting for the PGM
and may be expelled. Fakes - Allowed, since it is not
pornographic or anything that offends someone directly, as
fakes with pedophilia, racism or fakes created to offend
anyone. Complaints, Comments and suggestions - should be
done via a comment to the moderators, NEVER open threads
for that. Repeated topic - Please communicate the moderation
via direct message (scrap). Do not get chat in that topic,
because despite being repeated, we have the name of a
deceased attached. Standardization - When posting a topic,
notice to the standards that must be like the following
example: "†John Doe † Accident; † Mary Jane † Suicide †, †
John Pereira † Pneumonia †". To make the sign of the cross,
hold the ALT key pressing 0 1 3 4 together. If not, you can use
the "plus" (+) sign. [[[[Comments]]]] * For starters, this
community has a heavy content, where we talked about death,
murder, suicide, illness, etc ... If you do not feel well or do not
agree with these types of issues, it is advisable that you do not
go there. We respect you, and you should respect us. * The
community is a public one, so the owner is not responsible for
the content posted there. * People in bad faith can also join the
community. Unfortunately there is no way to filter the input of
members, since I cannot pre-judge a person based on a profile.
* The information inside the Profiles are public, so we are free
to read, copy and discuss upon what is seen. (Orkut himself
warns us that in the registration). * Requests for family and
close associates of the deceased will be served. * The PGM is
not governed by a "Statute of good conduct," full of laws and
rules. Unfortunately there is no way to predict every problem
that a community can have, so common sense comes before
everything. Moderation does not follow only the rules written
in the events, so do not use the events themselves as an
argument for doing something that we (and other members)
consider wrong. * Before you ask for something or complain
about something you did, think that if I make an exception for
you, I have to open up to others. * PGM cherishes the quality
of its topics and that is why many are deleted. This is the
formula of the community and has worked so far. It will not
change. Democracy is present in PGM. Remember that even in
democracy we have laws and above all, ethics. However, I
know that many people do not know to differentiate
democracy from anarchy. Freedom from debauchery. So if you
prefer to think there is a dictatorship in PGM, OK. But do not
use this as defense. The rigidity of moderation can bring
injustice, but unfortunately it is impossible to be 100% fair. It
6 Virtually observing who virtually observes the dead: an online ethnography
__________________________________________________________________
is not possible for the moderation to know EVERYTHING
that happens in the community. It remains impossible, despite
the numbers of moderators. So, patience. If someone disagrees
with any of the rules and / or do not want to meet them, please
feel free to retire before they cause trouble for the good
members. Thank you for your cooperation!16
Those interested in joining the community are encouraged to read these rules
before confirming the membership application. However, with the discussion of
controversial and sensitive issues, such as murders and suicides, many are those
who violate these guidelines and are eventually expelled.
Further on, we will demonstrate how the community works in other cases
and how it's members interact with each other.
Notes
1
This is how we are going to call the community on this paper.
http://googlediscovery.com/2010/01/24/orkut-comemora-6-anos-de-vida/
3
We didn't put the names of the moderation members because it was not possible to verify whether they were real or not,
and, during our observation, they were constantly changing. We tried for several times to contact them directly, but there
was no response. These names and the links to their profiles were listed in the community main page, along with the one of
the owner, called Guilherme, that owned a specific profile just to "own" the community, named "Dorta Moderator"., and
another one, named only as "Guilherme", to administrate it.
4
Orkut was created in January 24, 2004, and, since then, very popular in Brazil and in India. At that time, to participate, one
must have an invitation, in English, to be able to own a profile. The website itself was entirely in English and only got a
Portuguese version in May, 2005, what contributed to the increase of members and the possibility to be a part of it through a
brief registration, abolish the invitation.
5
When Facebook, according to a Brazilian enterprise for (Ibope Nielsen Online), gathered the highest number of unique
users – 30,9 millions. Great part of Facebook's fame came from the movie about its creation (The Social Network),
launched in Brazil in December, 2010. Ibope data available on http://bit.ly/n6FBHP. Access in December, 2011.
6
A man, whose identity was not revealed, was condemned, in 2009, by Brazilian Federal Justice, to eight years of reclusion
for distributing photos, through Orkut, videos and other pornographic materials involving children. Available on:
http://bit.ly/yKRZm. The piracy case is related to the community called "Discographies", that enabled users to download,
for free, complete music albums of national and international artists. The community had more than 900 thousand users and
the regular access of another million. It was closed on march 16, 2009, after intense judicial dispute. Available on:
http://bit.ly/f0u7. In the extent of racism, in 2006, the then Portuguese Language student from the University of Brasilia,
Marcelo Valle Silveira Mello, was denounced by the Public Ministry of the Federal District for calling Negros "dumb
monkeys, underdeveloped, vultures, thieves" and other swearing adjectives in an Orkut community. Available on:
http://bit.ly/y1LHY9.
7
For a larger comprehension of death as a subject in photography, see SONTAG (1986, 2003); KOURY (1998;67-86);
DUBOIS (1994; 215-250), amongst others.
8
Correio Braziliense (a national newspaper) of 23/06/2010. “The dead on the Web”. Available on: http://bit.ly/yQKEnh.
Folha de São Paulo Online de 23/03/2008. “The dead receive homage in Orkut pages". Available on: http://bit.ly/jq0z1Y.
Therefore, the responsible journalist does not place the PGM's name in the text, only refers to it in this part: “A simple
search in Orkut using the word "Death" points to about thousand communities related to the subject, the most popular one,
in Portuguese, overcomes the mark of 40 thousand associates. This community's objective is to host profiles of Orkut users
that have already died." The newspaper entitled "O Norte", of local circulation, also raised the PGM matter in 28/07/2010:
“Shared grief in the Web”. Available on: http://bit.ly/yorbdI.
9
The TPM magazine of October, 2005, talks about a community with objectives that are similar to PGM's without pointing
it. Available on: http://bit.ly/zms63a. Another magazine, called Trip, in the issue of august, same year, talks about PGM
directly. Available on: http://bit.ly/zU8JOb.
10
The 18 years old student from Rio de Janeiro, Verônica Verone de Paiva, hanged her 33 years old lover, the CEO Fábio
Gabriel Rodrigues, in a motel in 16/05/2011. The story reverberated thought the country and the girl's profile in Orkut was
deeply analyzed. When someone discovered that she was a PGM member, the community was a theme in very popular
Brazilian television shows. Available on: http://bit.ly/yfrPhx. The fact that the murderer was a PGM member was noted by
members of other Orkut community: http://bit.ly/xWLlwT.
11
Like the news website called G1, in 22/06/2009, with a piece entitled “Surfers curiosity created 'life after death' in social
networks". Available on: http://glo.bo/jc8Pi
12
A Blog named “Saudades da Fran” (Missing Fran) was created in February, 2010 by Isabela Deschamps, Francine
Deschamps's sister, dead in 2009 by overdose. The space was treated to place texts found on Francine's diary during
rehabilitation altogether with some of her family observations about the facts that preceded her death. In the entry of August
13, 2010, Isabela comments on being informed by a journalist that PGM had a topic related to her sister's death. Available
on: http://bit.ly/xQ5ro5.
13
In January, 2012, the number of active users in Facebook overcame Orkut's. Available on:
http://g1.globo.com/tecnologia/noticia/2012/01/facebook-passa-orkut-e-vira-maior-rede-social-do-brasil-diz-pesquisa.html.
14
80.791 in 04/01/2012. Twelve days later, (16/01/2012), PGM had 81.062 members.
15
Data collected during the referred time of observation.
16
Available on: http://www.orkut.com.br/Main#CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=65537209&tid=5235757002899152661. In
12.12.2011.
2
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