4 ms·

Before social media how long would it have taken to find out this loose of a connection had passed away? My guess is months to years if ever.

stuartcw 9y ago
Before social media people religiously read the local obituaries column in the local newspaper and called their friends if someone they both knew had died. Families would call all the close contacts and relatives to make sure that they knew. For several years after my father died in 1985 people called our house to speak to him. Most were not close acquaintances but some were still pretty shocked to hear of his death.
- CodeWriter23 9y ago
  Before social media, when someone died, you went through your address book and called everyone you knew who knew that person. And everyone you called would do the same.
- cbr 9y ago
  > Families would call all the close contacts and relatives to make sure that they knew. I think people generally still do this? When my mother died a few years ago we took turns calling her relatives and close friends. We wanted them to hear the news verbally.
dredmorbius 9y ago
The information was transmitted. It was never received. And therein lies the difference.
- conductr 9y ago
  It was received though, right? I mean the person passed away this weekend, it’s now Monday and they know. It just didn’t happen in real time like the person expected hence the tweets. Still much better than the obituary world of yesteryear. You could then also say the info was transmitted but the rate of receival probably low.
omnivore 9y ago
Before social media, you probably wouldn't have these distant connections to begin with because a lot of them are conceived in forums that just didn't have a parallel back in the day besides pen pals or someone you met at a conference once somewhere random.
- interfixus 9y ago
  > at a conference Such a Hacker Newish assumption. In the so-called real world, most people travel for all sorts of other reasons than conferences.

stuartcw 9y ago

Before social media people religiously read the local obituaries column in the local newspaper and called their friends if someone they both knew had died. Families would call all the close contacts and relatives to make sure that they knew. For several years after my father died in 1985 people called our house to speak to him. Most were not close acquaintances but some were still pretty shocked to hear of his death.

CodeWriter23 9y ago
Before social media, when someone died, you went through your address book and called everyone you knew who knew that person. And everyone you called would do the same.
cbr 9y ago
> Families would call all the close contacts and relatives to make sure that they knew. I think people generally still do this? When my mother died a few years ago we took turns calling her relatives and close friends. We wanted them to hear the news verbally.

dredmorbius 9y ago

The information was transmitted. It was never received. And therein lies the difference.

conductr 9y ago
It was received though, right? I mean the person passed away this weekend, it’s now Monday and they know. It just didn’t happen in real time like the person expected hence the tweets. Still much better than the obituary world of yesteryear. You could then also say the info was transmitted but the rate of receival probably low.

omnivore 9y ago

Before social media, you probably wouldn't have these distant connections to begin with because a lot of them are conceived in forums that just didn't have a parallel back in the day besides pen pals or someone you met at a conference once somewhere random.

interfixus 9y ago
> at a conference Such a Hacker Newish assumption. In the so-called real world, most people travel for all sorts of other reasons than conferences.