'The constant use of technology - particularly digital and social media - has drastically changed the options that are available to document a person's life, mourn someone's death and preserve one's ""digital legacy"". Through the sharing of personal experiences and interviews with individuals dealing with life-limiting illness and grief, visionaries who have created mechanisms to achieve digital immortality and scholars who have studied these new phenomena, Elaine Kasket has written a thought-provoking book that will help digital immigrants and digital natives alike to contemplate the psychosocial, legal, ethical and practical implications of being mortal in the digital age. In addition to expanding their vocabulary (e.g., learning about ""boundary turbulence"") and gaining information about user policies that dictate access to their digital assets after their death, readers will benefit from Kasket's ten general principles to guide their decision-making about going ""old school"" and/or ""digital"" in the quest for immortality' - Carla Sofka, co-editor of Dying, Death, and Grief in an Online Universe.
'The gentle, subtle cover of this book belies the power within. This is a beautifully written engaging text that brims with stories. Whilst Elaine's own tales are self-deprecating, they are also funny and illustrate how confused our world is about immortality. The book bridges research material and popular culture in a way that is accessible, amusing and challenging, all in one go. The chapters span moving stories of online grief, ethical and legal concerns as well as highlighting the impact of social media on death and mourning. Amidst the serious issues are touching storied moments. The book ends with useful practical suggestions about how to confront the realities of your own digital dust. It may not always be a comfortable read but it is certainly a good one. Buy it' - Maggi Savin-Baden, Professor of Education, University of Worcester, UK.
•'I came to this book from the world of palliative care. I was interested in digital legacies of how people and their families choose to be remembered - and what that might mean for the people we support. It was a professional interest that intersected with a personal one. What I've taken from All the Ghosts in the Machine though is so much more. It's made me think about how I live my life now, the choices that I make for myself and for others - including others that haven't even been conceived yet... Elaine's storytelling style introduces complex topics while at the same time creating investment in people's lives, adding context to a situation to allow you to really understand the ideas she's exploring. It's thought provoking, engaging and touching... Above all though, it's reinforced my professional views. That everything we do during dying, death and bereavement needs to be personal. What suits one person or family won't suit another. As the number of memorialised profiles on sites like Facebook start to outweigh the living ones, as is a very real future scenario, we need to ensure people are aware of their choices around both privacy and legacy. A policy, a process or even a law won't necessarily fix that. Perhaps though, talking about it, communicating, having a conversation with loved ones about what you'd want, and advance planning, might' - Susan Brown, Policy & Public Affairs Manager, Marie Curie Scotland