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Rituals and Meaning in the Digital Age
We are increasingly holding rituals, from weddings to funerals, in digital spaces. Are they still meaningful?
It was late 2020 and a wedding where over 2,000 guests were in attendance. Except none of them were in the same place. Including the couple getting married. They were in Virtual Reality. In World of Warcraft, when a player dies, it is common that the clan they were fighting with to hold a funeral for them.
How and where we conduct certain rituals in our lives is changing in the digital age. So much so that it is impacting cultural elements such as customs and traditions in the real world as well. This has us asking if these digital rituals are as valid as real life? Do they hold true value over time? Are they legitimate?
Rituals are important to societies and cultures. They aren’t inherently religious either. Many of us have morning and evening rituals that we call routines, but they are actually rituals. Family and community activities can become ritualistic in nature as well.
Here, I’m exploring the intersection of more social rituals at the intersection of our digital and physical worlds. Weddings, funerals, coming-of-age ceremonies and other deeply meaningful activities that change our worlds and actions in the real world, but are conducted in the digital world.
