Facebook is an integral part of life for some, and to some it has stayed that way in the afterlife.
Posting messages of love, regret and encouragement on the Facebook wall of someone who has died is not uncommon.
However, debate over whether or not it's a good idea has sparked.
"It varies for individuals in terms of whether or not that they would find it helpful for them in the grieving process," said Douglas Hankes, psychologist and director of Student Counseling Services.
Hankes said a large part of determining the value of these Facebook posts would depend on the motivation of the person posting.
He said it could be a matter of following others.
"'If everybody else is posting on somebody's wall, then I'd better; I feel compelled,'" Hankes said. "There may be some pressure in that sense."
Jessica Epperson, sophomore in premedicine, said this is one reason she doesn't like the concept.
"Once someone posts, then everyone feels bad," Epperson said. "If somebody posts, everyone needs to post."
But not all students think it's a bad thing.
"I feel like it is a nice thing to do, but I think you just have to be careful with what you write," said Virginia Foster, sophomore in elementary education. "You still have to respect the person."
Hankes said maintaining the Facebook page could preserve a positive memory of the person.
"I think we want to get to a point where you're able to celebrate somebody's life\0xAD--what was there\0xAD--rather than grieve over what was lost," Hankes said. "So in the sense that the Facebook page kind of lives on in maybe celebrating that person's life, I think that could be okay.
"It's a way of remembering, so you don't forget that person."
But Epperson said she thinks having that constant reminder may not always be a good thing.
"I knew somebody from my high school--that happened to them--and (his parents) couldn't delete his Facebook because they didn't have his password," Epperson said. "It was just kind of like an always reaffirming image of what had happened."
Facebook has two options available for what can be done with the Facebook pages of those who have died.
One option is to have it memorialized. According to Facebook's help center, "Memorializing an account sets the account privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or locate it in search."
Memorializing the account can be requested by anyone and requires the deceased person's email and proof of death.
Facebook also allows the immediate family members the option of removing the account.
Hankes said continuing to post on someone's wall could be a hindrance to healing depending on the person.
"In the grief process, there is a time period to it," Hankes said. "If you've got somebody who's stuck and continuing to post, and they're prolonging their grief beyond what we would expect in the normal range, then that's probably not a good thing."
Colton Windsor, freshman in English, said it's not a gesture he's extended before.
"I understand the purpose behind it, in that when you do it, it's mostly for other people to understand that you care about the person," Windsor said. "But, I mean, you know, it's not really getting anything done, I guess."
But Foster said she thought it was a good idea.
"There was a girl that died from the band a couple years ago...Her parents still left her Facebook up," Foster said. "They didn't really know me, but I wanted them to know that I respected them, and I loved their daughter, and that even though I only knew her for just a few months, she was real sweet."
Hankes said afterlife Facebook posts could either help or hurt the grieving process, but that people will take advantage of the opportunity regardless.
"The technology's available, so people are going to use it," Hankes said.
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