When death becomes social media content

When death becomes social media content Somak Ghoshal 3 min read22 Aug 2026, 09: 00 AM IST.

Key points

• Earlier this month a video of the last rites of a resident of a care home in Haryana went viral.
• Social media has turned our most private moments, including our last goodbyes, into fodder for public judgement and engagement farming.
• This is a Mint Premium article gifted to you.

What happened

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Earlier this month a video of the last rites of a resident of a care home in Haryana went viral. The clip, which indicated rituals being conducted around a pyre, was allegedly broadcast to the man's three daughters. This person live in different parts of India and Nepal, and could not travel to Sonipat, where their father, a widower, had spent his last days.

The bottom line

For now, when death becomes social media content remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.