This article provides the theoretical background for explanation of the mediatization of emotion on social media as attested in different digital mourning practices. It discusses the affective and emotional turn alongside the mediatic turn in relation to key trends and foci in the study of affect/emotion. Our discussion points to a shift in conceptualizations of affect/emotion from mediated to mediatized practice, embedded in other social practices and subject to media and social media logics, affordances, and frames, which are worthy of empirical investigation. The article also presents the key insights offered in the four articles of this Special Issue and foregrounds current and future directions in the study of mediatization, emotional sharing, and digital mourning practices.
Korina Giaxoglou, The Open University, UK., Katrin Döveling, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Universitaet Klagenfurt, Austria, out in December 2017.