The influence of culture on the expression of emotions in online social networks

Abstract

Seeking to understand the influence of culture on the expression of emotions in online social networks, we analyzed four Facebook groups - two from Quebec, Canada and two from Colombia - created following unexpected deaths. Comparison of the messages posted in these groups reveals a stronger tendency to maintain a virtual relationship with the deceased by Canadians than by Columbians. Among the former, the deceased is more often asked to and thanked for watching over the living, and testimonies of love addressed to the deceased are more numerous than among the latter. Among the latter, the strength of the links maintained with the deceased justifying the present pain and evocation of the mourners’ Catholic beliefs are relatively more frequent. Finally, while the Canadian Quebecers’ messages would presumably be written in French and those of Colombians in Spanish, it is interesting to observe a certain presence of English to express feelings of loss and love in the four groups, as well as a certain affinity between North American virtual bereavement practices and those seemingly more characteristic of women, the main contributors in all four groups.