Cyfrowa klepsydra. Internetowe przedstawianie śmierci znanych osób

Information about the death has always aroused the interest of people. Especially when it concerned the death of famous people. From the very beginning, it was present in the media space of the live. Over time, oral information was replaced by obituaries in newspapers. Today this role has been taken over by the electronic instruments of social communication. The word „death” in the polish media usually appears in the context of the death of famous person, stars of public life, starting with stage music stars, art creators, athletes or politicians. This article shows the relationship of the medium of social communication, which is the Internet, to the phenomenon of death. The author presented the subject matter based on media reports about the death of three selected polish celebrities died in 2021. These were celebrity men from the world of media (Kamil Durczok), entertainment (Krzysztof Krawczyk) and sport (Artur Walczak). The final conclusions indicate the method of creating posthumous images of deceased celebrities. They show the role of the modern communication medium (Internet) in creating the image of a human being. They also emphasize the issue of journalistic ethics in relation to the topics related to the death of famous people.