Can’t make the funeral? Just watch it online

Livestreaming is a trend that keeps getting more so, as it gives cheap and easy access to growing range of events from concerts and protests to news and weather reports. Now livestreaming is being embraced by funeral homes worldwide, becoming a normal part of our cultural last rites. Two companies, FuneralRecording and One Room are offering funeral live streams that are becoming increasingly popular, each signing up thousands of funeral homes for their services. Because tradition holds that Jews must bury their dead within 24 hours of death, the service is proving especially popular with Jewish mourners who may not be able to travel to the funeral in such short notice. The service reflects a trend toward our increasing comfort with broadcasting and web technology in even our most solemn moments. Will graduations, birthdays, weddings and bar mitzvahs will be next?