Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee presents

Software for the Past (SfP): 4th Workshop on Digital Technologies to Study the Past and Present:  Focus on Digital Remembrance

New media have changed how we commemorate deceased people and lost communities. Gone are the days of solely relying on physical memorials like headstones, museums, and signs. They seem less immediate, formal and slow.  Online memorials on dedicated websites, Facebook pages, and even comment sections of online newspapers have become commonplace, offering immediacy and interaction that physical memorials lack. They offer new avenues for grieving loved ones to share memories, connect with others, and create an online memorial community.

The rise of digital memorialization and commemoration platforms presents new challenges.  The impermanence of digital data, the ever-evolving nature of social media algorithms, and the ethical considerations of online privacy raise questions about the long-term viability and accessibility of digital memorials. Ownership and copyright of memorials and dedications is a sensitive topic not clearly addressed by existing norms.  Artificial intelligence tools can create interactive digital duplicates of the dead, leading family and friends into uncharted emotional and legal territory.

Alongside the challenges lie exciting possibilities. Immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are pushing the boundaries of digital remembrance, offering users the potential to experience interactive memorials and engage with the past in entirely new ways.  Some new technologies are incremental – e.g. making cemetery navigation simpler – while others are revolutionary – e.g. immersive and interactive VR tours of historical sites and communities.

This one-day conference invites scholars, researchers, and industrial practitioners to explore the potential and challenges of current and future digital remembrance.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Evolving practices of commemorating family and friends on social media platforms.

• Digital memorial design

• Enabling technologies for digital memorials

• Virtual and augmented reality experiences for remembrance in the context of family and friends.

• Ethical considerations and challenges in digital commemoration, particularly on social media.

• The impact of digital technologies on personal and collective memory.

• The role of digital preservation in safeguarding memories and history.

• The intersection of digital remembrance, cultural heritage, and family history.

• Emerging technologies and their potential for future remembrance practices within families and communities.

• Social and cultural analyses of digital commemoration

Submission Guidelines:

Abstracts should be 250-300 words in English.  Extended abstracts should be 700-1100 words in English.  Submissions must include the name(s) of the authors and their affiliations.   

The conference will take place virtually.

Important dates:

Abstract/Extended abstract submission: July 5, 2024
Author notification: July 10, 2024
Conference: July 28, 2024

Organizing committee:

Dr. Michael J. May, Software Engineering, Kinneret Academic College, ISRAEL
Dr. Efrat Kantor, Land of Israel Studies, Kinneret Academic College, ISRAEL

Submission address: sfp@mx.kinneret.ac.il