For Whom The Web Tolls

I wanted to write about ghoulish MyDeathSpace.com yesterday, but after the AP's story was picked up by virtually every news outlet, the site crashed from all the traffic. MyDeathSpace is a virtual graveyard populated by deceased members of MySpace - kids who committed suicide, soldiers killed in Iraq, victims of murder, cancer, car accidents - a cornucopia of tragedy.

The site currently hosts about 2700 profiles and receives more than 100,000 hits a day. There, vulturous vampiric voyeurs pore over the final posts of distraught teens, worried GI's, and bravely sunny chemo patients. There's even a death map so you can stalk the dead in your area. MySpace has no relationship with MyDeathSpace, but family members of deceased MySpace members are typically granted control over the pages and many leave their loved ones' profiles up as a cyber-memorial.

I find this phenomenon creepily fascinating. And fascinatingly creepy. I suppose if I were hit by a car, I'd want my blog to stay up, so I'm not entirely sure why MyDeathSpace skeeves me so. Maybe it's their banner ad for TrueSwords.com.