Death and the metaverse: myth or tomorrow's reality?
Introduction
Imagine attending a loved one's funeral from your living room, represented by an avatar, in a virtual space where geographical distance no longer exists. Imagine conversing with a digital version of a departed loved one, recreated through artificial intelligence. What seemed like science fiction a few years ago is gradually becoming reality.
The funeral metaverse raises as much fascination as it does questions. Virtual ceremonies are already being organised in universes like Decentraland or Horizon Worlds. Startups are developing posthumous avatars capable of interacting with the living. Digital memorials are evolving towards immersive virtual reality experiences.
This convergence between technology and memory is radically transforming our funeral practices. As we explored in our article on the evolution of funeral rites in the digital age, digitalisation is disrupting our relationship with grief. But the metaverse goes further: it offers a new spatial and sensory dimension for honouring the deceased.
Between opportunities for accessibility and risks of disembodiment, between innovation and ethics, the funeral metaverse deserves thorough reflection. Technological myth or genuine revolution in commemoration? Let's explore together this frontier between the physical and virtual worlds.
📌 Summary (TL;DR)
The funeral metaverse is no longer science fiction: virtual ceremonies are being organised, posthumous avatars developed, and immersive memorials created. These technologies offer geographical accessibility, creative personalisation and digital permanence. But they also raise major ethical questions: the digital divide, disembodiment of grief and data ownership.
The metaverse will not replace traditional rites, but can intelligently complement them to create new forms of tribute and collective memory.
📚 Table of contents
- The funeral metaverse: from science fiction to reality
- Concrete examples of virtual ceremonies and tributes
- Posthumous avatars: presence or illusion?
- Advantages of the metaverse for funerals and commemoration
- Limitations and ethical questions of the funeral metaverse
- The metaverse: complement or substitute?
The funeral metaverse: from science fiction to reality
The metaverse refers to immersive virtual universes accessible via VR headsets, 3D applications or augmented reality. Applied to the funeral sector, it enables ceremonies to be organised and memorials to be created in digital spaces.
Platforms such as Second Life, Gather or Horizon Worlds have already hosted virtual funerals. What seemed like science fiction is becoming an emerging reality, accelerated by the pandemic and the evolution of immersive technologies.
These technological innovations in the funeral sector are redefining our relationship with commemoration and opening up new possibilities for honouring the memory of the deceased.
Concrete examples of virtual ceremonies and tributes
During COVID-19, families organised complete funerals in virtual reality, allowing confined relatives to gather in a 3D space.
Gaming communities have created virtual memorials to honour deceased players, building monuments in Minecraft or organising gatherings in World of Warcraft.
Hybrid ceremonies now combine physical presence and virtual participation: some attend at the church whilst others join via an avatar in a parallel digital space. These examples show that the funeral metaverse is no longer a futuristic hypothesis but a developing reality.
Posthumous avatars: presence or illusion?
A posthumous avatar is a digital representation of the deceased that continues to exist after their death. Forms vary: static avatar in a 3D memorial, conversational chatbot powered by AI that reproduces the deceased's writing style, or interactive holograms.
These technologies raise profound ethical questions. Is it an aid to the grieving process or a hindrance to accepting loss? Can virtual presence replace physical absence?
Some see it as a comfort, others as a dangerous illusion. Artificial intelligence and grief pose challenges that go beyond mere technology.
Advantages of the metaverse for funerals and commemoration
The metaverse offers unprecedented possibilities for making ceremonies more accessible and personalised. These virtual universes address concrete needs that the physical world cannot always satisfy.
Three main advantages emerge: geographical accessibility, creative personalisation and temporal permanence of memorial spaces.
Geographical accessibility and inclusion
The metaverse abolishes distances. Relatives living on the other side of the world can participate in a ceremony without taking a flight or bearing significant travel costs.
Elderly people or those with reduced mobility can attend funerals from their homes. Virtual spaces create inclusion without physical barriers, allowing everyone to pay their respects with dignity.
This accessibility radically transforms participation in virtual tributes and virtual ceremonies.
Personalisation and unlimited creativity
In the metaverse, it is possible to create bespoke environments that perfectly reflect the deceased's personality: a beach for a sea lover, a virtual library for a reading enthusiast, a mountain for a mountaineer.
Physical constraints disappear. Elements impossible in the real world can be integrated: luminous butterflies flying, memories projected in 3D, fantastical gardens created.
This creative freedom offers unique and deeply personal digital commemoration.
Permanence and temporal accessibility
A digital memorial in the metaverse remains accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No closing times as with a cemetery, no distance constraints.
Relatives can return to visit the commemorative space at any time: on an anniversary, during a moment of sadness or simply to pay their respects.
This virtual permanence creates a form of continuous presence, a place of memory always available for those who need it.
Limitations and ethical questions of the funeral metaverse
Despite its advantages, the funeral metaverse raises significant challenges. Technological enthusiasm must not mask the concrete problems of access, ethics and permanence.
Three major issues emerge: the digital divide, the risk of disembodiment of grief and questions of data ownership.
The digital divide and exclusion
Not everyone has access to a VR headset, a high-performance internet connection or the necessary digital skills. The cost of equipment remains high: several hundred francs minimum.
This reality creates inequality of access to grief and commemoration. Elderly people or those unfamiliar with technology risk being excluded.
The metaverse and grief must not become a privilege reserved for connected and technophile populations.
The risk of disembodiment of grief
Grief is a profoundly bodily and physical process. Traditional rituals involve the body: touching a coffin, throwing a handful of earth, embracing loved ones.
The question arises: can the virtual replace these essential gestures or only complement them? Physical presence plays a crucial role in accepting death.
An avatar in a 3D space does not provide the same sensations as a physical ceremony. The risk is creating emotional distance rather than genuine contemplation.
Data ownership and platform permanence
What happens to virtual memorials if the platform goes bankrupt or closes? Who actually owns the deceased's data: the family or the technology company?
Questions of confidentiality and security are crucial. Can the deceased's personal information be exploited commercially?
Unlike a physical grave that lasts for decades, a virtual space depends on the economic viability of a private company. This fragility poses a problem for the permanence of memory.
The metaverse: complement or substitute?
The metaverse will probably not replace traditional funeral practices, but will complement them. The future seems to lie in hybrid solutions that combine physical ceremonies and digital extensions.
A family can organise a traditional online funeral whilst creating a virtual space accessible to distant relatives. This approach respects traditional rituals whilst exploiting the advantages of digital technology.
Platforms like Wolky already illustrate this convergence by enabling people to publish an obituary online whilst preserving the dignity and respect of traditions. The evolution of funeral rites shows that technology and tradition can coexist harmoniously.
The funeral metaverse is no longer science fiction. From virtual ceremonies to posthumous avatars, these technologies offer new possibilities for honouring our deceased: geographical accessibility, creative personalisation and permanence of memories. But they also raise essential ethical questions about the digital divide, the disembodiment of grief and data ownership.
The metaverse will not replace traditional rites. It complements them, by creating spaces where physical distance is no longer an obstacle to contemplation. The essential thing remains the intention: to honour with dignity the memory of those who have left us.
Today, Wolky enables you to create an accessible and lasting digital memorial. Publish an obituary online for 180 CHF, add photos and memories, and share easily with your loved ones, wherever they are. A simple and respectful solution for perpetuating memory.
