The Virality of Online Death Risk

Gevisa La Rocca and Cosimo Miraglia “Know thyself”61. With these words Socrates invited man to explore his inner self, to recognize his limits and also to overcome them. Is it possible to insert the challenge of death among mankind’s tests of courage? Or is it connected to the search for the sense of life? Suicide can be considered both reprehensible and heroic; the same can be said of risking one’s life. We are making reference to the intricate relationship between man and death, that at times, gives also a sense to life. It is a relationship full of fear, but also of participation and individuality (Morin 1970). According to Morin’s (1970) interpretation, human awareness of death does not only mean awareness of what is unawareness in animals, but also a breach in the relationship between the individual and his/her kind. For the scholar it is the domain of individuality over the species or a weakness of the species towards the individual. Hence, the triumph of the individual over his/her kind is what determines the awareness and the human rejection of death. Making reference to Anthony’s research (1940), Morin stresses how also in children, even if they are unaware of death and of what happens to corpses, there is still a strong emotional element and similar behaviors to those of adults towards death; in other words, to those who have already acquired the concept and know its consequences