This online event with close to 200 registrations explored how social media transforms mourning into a shared, public experience at this online symposium delving into the digital dimensions of loss and connection. This symposium brought together leading and emerging voices in social media research to examine how platforms like TikTok are reshaping grief narratives, fostering resilience, and creating meaningful communities.

Facilitated by Distinguished Professor Larissa Hjorth (RMIT University) and Professor Crystal Abidin (Curtin University), the event featured keynote presentations from social media experts Associate Professor Moa Eriksson Krutrok of Umeå University and Professor Johanna Sumiala from the University of Helsinki, offering insights into the unique affordances of TikTok and its role in public mourning and connection.

It also included a rapid-fire panel of emerging researchers from across the glove, including Nilou Davoudi (University of British Columbia, Canada), Himani Joshi (RMIT University, Australia), Shahee Ilyas (RMIT University, Australia), Sharon Greenfield (RMIT University, Australia), Soma Basu (Tampere University, Finland), and Valentina Proust (University of Pennsylvania, USA). This thought-provoking event explored the profound ways digital platforms are redefining how we cope, connect, and commemorate in times of personal and collective loss.