A few months ago, someone I know died. We had only met a couple of times, accepted each other's Facebook friend requests, and messaged each other on and off. But I grew to know him well. His face filled my Facebook newsfeed weekly.
News travels fast on social media. He had only been gone a few hours but the comments rolled in. Friends, mutual friends, friends of friends all ceased their scrolling when news of the tragedy broke.
Although I hadn't physically seen my friend all year, I had seen his year on Facebook. Social media gave me a magnifying glass on his online life.
The family photos his dad tagged him in. The selfie with his mum he posted on Mother's Day. The effusive posts his parents uploaded on his birthday. His mother's status updates, expressing gratitude at being surrounded by family for Sunday dinner.
For the past year I'd been privy to a colourful and vibrant life. This family displayed their love for each other and their love for their god openly and online. I saw public displays of private emotions.
Online, the barrier between close friend and mere Facebook friend crumbled. Everything he was tagged in, I saw. Everything he commented on, I liked.
Now I see his family's Facebook farewells, and the preceding year of photos makes it even easier to picture their grief.
'He was such a wonderful boy, no wonder God wanted him,' an uncle writes. 'He's with the angels now,' says another relative. His mother posts how much she misses him, begs God to grant him eternal rest.
I witness a family yearning for digital solace, support and compassion through commemorative posts on their boy's Facebook wall.
Social media has changed the face of mourning, extending it beyond the funeral procession, beyond church traditions. The funeral and burial for my friend are over, but the bereavement is still very much in the public domain.
It seems my friend's death will never revert to a matter of private grief. Friends and family continue posting messages of faith, love and loss on his Facebook wall in an endless memorial. I have become a follower in the constant mourning.
Over 14 million Australians are signed up to Facebook, and Facebook's data scientists believe users check their account on average 14 times a day.
When death strikes, posts and reposts spread beyond friends, rippling through the computers, tablets and mobile phones of mutual friends.
This 14 times-a-day exposure to shares and online