The ghosts of the Web
Notifications from deceased individuals, communities refusing to let a personality die: the internet is becoming populated with ghosts, kept alive by artificial intelligence.
Good evening from Paris! This week is dedicated to ghosts. A special welcome to our new subscribers—you can explore all previous editions right here. Feel free to comment, drop me an email, and share this post!
The ghosts exist on social media. Facebook birthday notifications for people who have passed away, or Google’s reminders of deceased loved ones through its Photos app, are tangible examples of their presence. These experiences can be deeply unsettling, reopening emotional wounds, or, conversely, strangely comforting, as if maintaining a persistent connection with the departed. But beyond these personal examples, we are witnessing a broader shift in our relationship with death, driven by evolving social networks and digital technologies.
When Communities Refuse the Death of an Icon: Plaaastic
The example of the Vietnamese artist Plaaastic's (real name Mai Nhi) suicide has become one of the most troubling known cases. A major figure on social media, Plaaastic was known for her photographic performances and creations in the fashion world, widely shared online.
In 2017, at the height of her success, a post was published on her Instagram account (since deleted) and her Facebook page, announcing her death.
The post generated thousands of comments, as fans of the artist themselves conducted investigations, using methods similar to those of Websleuths, online groups that investigate famous cold cases.
Theories arose, rumors spread, and plans were drawn up to solve the mystery. To such an extent that in 2018, the artist reappeared in a long, striking video, where she admitted her suicide had been staged. She didn’t provide direct answers but left her community with a cryptic message, explaining that she never intended to become a "viral idea" and that this video would only reach those who sought it in the future.
This visionary, both unsettling and prophetic, message perhaps already foretold her real fate. Indeed, a few weeks after this video, Plaaastic actually took her own life. Her community, however, has not stopped perpetuating her legacy. In 2020, fans undertook the translation of her book Error 404 into English on the Wattpad platform, long after her death.
This phenomenon raises profound questions about the control of our post-mortem narrative and digital immortality. Plaaastic’s death paradoxically gave her community a new purpose: not only to preserve her artistic legacy but also to recruit new fans. She lives on through her work and, more importantly, through a community that continues to nurture her online presence, granting her a form of digital liveness—the quality or state of being alive—that exceeds her physical existence.
Ghosts on Artificial Intelligence Life Support
Social networks and digital platforms are disrupting human temporality, creating unexpected appearances of "digital ghosts" that influence our lives. These ghosts are not just painful memories or accidental reminders, but also figures that blur the boundary between the past, present, and future.
“The essence of a ghost, if there is one, is that we don’t know if it bears witness by coming from a past life or from a future one, for the ghost could already be marking the return of the specter of a promised life. Untimeliness again, and a misalignment with the contemporary.”
Jacques Derrida, Spectres of Marx (Paris: Galilée, 1993)
These specters appear quite regularly online. Websites that were once taken offline, suddenly reactivated, bring back buried memories.
Friend suggestions reminding us of a deceased person; recommendation lists from the departed that are then broadcast to wider audiences; the “push” of automatically republished digital content featuring a friend who passed away too soon... These are examples we continuously experience, as if platforms forget that there are other dimensions beyond a perpetual present.
This was the case with the French blog of Junko Frantic, whose poetic post “because it’s always when you’re sleeping that I want to talk to you…” was widely shared in 2006 and suddenly resurfaced online. This unexpected return of a digital past resonates like a ghost in the lives of those who knew it.
Artificial Immortality, Communal Immortality?
Beyond hosting and preserving content (since we now know the internet is dying), artificial intelligence is reshaping the very idea of death. In China, influencers and opinion leaders already possess AI-powered avatars that interact with their communities, sometimes even after their physical death. These avatars are not mere commercial tools; they tap into the deep emotions of fans, creating parasocial relationships. AI has the power to accelerate these attachments, for, after all, isn’t an idol already a fiction, a construct, even with the best intentions?
After a celebrity’s physical death, their avatar could very well continue to exist, ensuring a form of digital liveness. First, as an emitter, absorbing the contents, gestures, and habits of a person, but most importantly in its interactive role. Conversational agents could not only simulate the deceased’s personality but also develop a unique rapport with each user, adapting their responses over time. This bond, based on repetition, habit, and pleasure, could give the illusion of a genuine relationship with the digital ghost.
This artificial immortality, coupled with communal immortality, is already technically possible. However, it raises profound questions: who controls digital death? Can we truly disappear if our followers continue to fuel our presence? Platforms like Meta are attempting to introduce solutions, allowing users to designate trusted individuals to manage profiles after death. But the online presence of a person far exceeds a single social network.
Thus, in an era of avatars and potentially eternal communities, managing digital death becomes a complex issue, both in terms of reputation and patrimonial rights.
The number of the Week: 2.63%
According to RivalIQ, the median engagement on TikTok for brands is only 2.63% across all verticals. It’s the institutions and businesses surrounding higher education that see the most traction.
Amazing links
I’ve launched a new Substack dedicated to fashion at large. This week, I talk about Rosé’s last music video, APT. (Size M)
“Technology isn’t magic. It’s haunted”. (Vice)
Yann LeCun thinks that AI is dumber than a cat. (Wall Street Journal)
Why do we watch what we watch? (YouTube)
WhatsApp vigilantes in India are converting Christians by force (Rest of the World)
Have a great week! This newsletter is written with love, passion, and (French) café.
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My book “Alive In Social Media” is available on Amazon.
GG was a huge inspiration to me. Her story and posts kept me going as someone suffering from depression and anxiety. I did not believe she passed for so long because she was my hope that you could do your art, suffer, but still live. But sadly, we don’t all prevail mental illness 💔 this was a great post! Thank you for this 💚
I so did not know about Plaaastic, wow