The Web makes us immortal

Maybe on the Internet we don’t die. We just become static. I say this because Classmates.com has as one of my featured members an old high school friend who passed away earlier this year.

I can see that his interests were walking and golf, and he had two children. Classmates is encouraging me to ask my old friend to be one of my online friends. I want to say to Classmates, ‘he’s dead.’ It wants me to ask him to post a photo. I want to say to Classmates, ‘he’s dead.’ It reminds me that as a Gold member, I have everything I need to reconnect with my friend. There would be a nice trick. A little online seance action. It points me to my friend’s story, only there isn’t one there, and he won’t be adding one. Maybe I’d better hurry and add mine.

Classmates isn’t the only site on the Web that has immortalized him in some small way. Several sites list his name and work address — he was a recruiter. Oddly, I can’t find his obituary.

The Web really can make us immortal.