In episode two of 'Death Virgin,' Kristen Vermilyea delves into the intersection of death and social media, particularly focusing on Facebook.

She discusses her views on mourning culture online, sharing personal anecdotes and observations about how people use social media to cope with loss. Vermilyea reflects on the emotional complexities of seeing Facebook pages of deceased friends and questions why public expressions of grief seem necessary.

Interspersed with humor and tangential stories, Vermilyea also explores how social media serves as a modern-day Town Crier, announcing deaths and allowing shared communal mourning.

This episode encourages listeners to reflect on their own digital interactions with death and considers the broader implications of our online lives.

In the Maiden episode of the podcast 'Death Virgin,' Kristen Vermilyea, a 56-year-old American woman living in Zurich, Switzerland, introduces her journey into understanding mourning and death.

Kristen explains how she has not yet lost anyone super close to her* - a rarity at her age, making her feel underprepared for the inevitable loss of a loved one.

She discusses her documentary film 'Death Virgin,' her curiosity about death, past experiences, and her decision to become a death doula.

Kristen also reminisces about her past in Catholic school, relationships, and various memories connected to death and funerals. The episode is a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, and reflections on life and death, aiming to open up conversations about a typically taboo subject.

*Yes, I’ve lost all my grandparents and several aunts and uncles. (We are not a terribly close family.) I’ve thought a lot about how I define “super close” when it comes to people in my life and how that definition might be different when dealing with their deaths. Does it have to be an immediate family member? A blood relative? A best friend? Someone I see or talk to daily / often? I don’t know, but I’m thinking about it and will explore it in the podcast.