Taking Your Mobile Phone to the Grave
A new study has found that more than one in five Brits would be like to be buried with their mobile phones. The reason? So they can still receive texts from friends and loved ones. Brits are following traditional Egyptian rituals and enclosing 21st century treasures, including mobile phones, jewelry and photos in the coffin when a loved one passes away.
Online mobile phone retailer Dial-a-Phone questioned customers aged between 18 and 30 to discover what they would take if they could have only one item with them in their casket.
17% said that their mobile phone was their top choice, coming third only to wedding rings and other sentimental jewelry items like lockets and bracelets. Personal items that also fare well on the list include photos, letters and childhood toys, which were thought to hold special memories of loved ones and significant moments.
When questioned further, the majority of those who opted for their mobiles as a coffin accessory said it was so that they could still receive messages from loved ones via text message. Other rationale included fear of being buried alive and not wanting others to see personal messages and pictures stored on their phones.
A Dial-a-Phone spokesperson comments: "The mobile phone is modern man's immediate connection with the world around him. It's no surprise that, instead of the traditional religious objects like beads or prayer books, we now feel more comfortable facing death with our handset by our side."
"Keeping a mobile phone in a loved one's final resting place can provide mourners with a direct connection to those who have passed away. Being able to say goodbye with a final text message can bring those in grief a sense of closure and help them move on."
Posted to the site on 2nd February 2007
