GSNOW

I first encountered GSnow's comment during my initial foray into Reddit to collect data. In the subreddit CopingWithDeath, user djevikkshar posts under the title, "Thought this would fit here," a long, beautifully written piece by a user named GSnow on the grieving process. Here it is:

I read it, noted it, and moved on, thinking I might find a reason to include it somewhere in this project. Soon, after digging just a little further into grief-related posts, I came across GSnow's comment again:

And again:

I quickly realized that GSnow was a celebrity among grieving Redditors. His comment circulated throughout different subreddits, always receiving a positive reaction from other commenters:

Unfortunately, the post in which GSnow's comment first appeared no longer exists. Instead, the comment continually finds its way into deep corners of the website, providing solace for countless individuals and communities. In reposting the comment with different introductions and in various contexts, the users developed GSnow's text into a kind of cultural meme, or tradition, of its own. Users "remember seeing this comment" years ago, and recollect the impact it had on their lives at the time. This enables them to connect with a meaningful past and transmit content that connects them with their communities, while providing support to those in need.

As an online cultural resource for the work of death, GSnow's comment proves valuable. It lacks humor, but as the AdviceAnimals comments discussed, not everyone uses humor to cope with loss. Instead, it employs imagery - scar and scar tissue, shipwrecks and waves - to communicate a profound meaning of hope and carrying on after loss.

In light of this evidence, it appears that Reddit's methods for coping with loss is as variegated as peoples' are in "real life."

References:

[1] GSnow, “Untitled.”