Death as Entertainment: An Analysis of Death-Related News on Instagram

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how discourses around death, conveyed on Instagram, are structured and re-signified according to the logic of entertainment. Instagram was chosen for its relevance as a source of information and for the central role it plays in shaping collective perceptions of death and violence. The methodology adopted for this study was analytical and bibliographic, encompassing the observation of independent profiles and large media conglomerates, and was based on references that discuss the culture of death and digital discourses. To do this, Paveau’s theories were used to analyze the structures of native digital discourses; Morin’s, to understand hierarchies in death based on individuals’ status, and Becker, to discuss the phenomenon of collective death as a mechanism to mitigate the inexorability of individual death. The results suggest that discursive practices transform personal tragedies into fast-consumption media products, trivializing death and reinforcing social inequalities. The analysis also revealed that the social notoriety of individuals determines different forms of representation: celebrities receive reverent treatment, while ordinary and peripheral citizens are portrayed in an impersonal and sensationalist way. It is concluded that digital discourse not only reflects but also reinforces social hierarchies, perpetuating prejudices and naturalizing violence against vulnerable populations. By transforming death into a narrative of entertainment, social media amplify symbolic inequality and limit the possibility of a critical reflection on the dignity and worth of life.