Since its inception, Twitter has proved an unparalleled medium for trivia and trolling. But a remarkable series of tweets posted by one man from the bedside of his dying mother has been praised for demonstrating that social media can play a poignant role in chronicling life's closing chapter.
For thepast fortnight Scott Simon, a broadcaster on the US National Public Radio network, has been staging a Twitter vigil for his terminally ill mother, who is being treated in a Chicago hospital.
More than 1.2 million people have been following Simon's updates, which range from reflective observations and her painful cries for help to even darkly humorous asides.
Yesterday, Simon recorded that his vigil may soon come to an end, writing: "Her passing might come any moment, or in an hour, or not for a day. Nurses saying hearing is last sense to go, so I sing and joke."
An award-winning broadcaster based in Washington, Simon's tweets began when his mother underwent emergency surgery on July 16.
Health experts said that social media could play a cathartic role for individuals who felt otherwise helpless.
"This is an outlet for him. A way of releasing the misery he is going through," said Dr Judy Kane, a trustee of Healthtalkonline.org, an award-winning website which helps patients and families share experiences of serious illness.
Kane added: "He has shown that Twitter can help people derive a lot of comfort in these situations. They can say, 'Someone else is experiencing the same thing."'
