This file is to be used only for a purpose specified by Palgrave Macmillan, such as checking proofs, preparing an index, reviewing, endorsing or planning coursework/other institutional needs. You may store and print the file and share it with others helping you with the specified purpose, but under no circumstances may the file be distributed or otherwise made accessible to any other third parties without the express prior permission of Palgrave Macmillan. Please contact rights@palgrave.com if you have any queries regarding use of the file. September 25, 2015 11:4 MAC/JACKY Page-261 9781137470119_17_cha15 PROOF 15 Remembering Zyzz: Distributed Memories on Distributed Networks Bjorn Nansen, Michael Arnold, Martin Gibbs, Tamara Kohn and James Meese Introduction Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian, better known as ‘Zyzz’, died in 2011 at the age of 22 from a heart attack in a Bangkok sauna. Zyzz was a well- known figure among amateur bodybuilders – a subculture which seeks to achieve the ‘aesthetics’ of a highly muscular physique. Prior to his death, Zyzz had become a minor internet celebrity, actively self-promoting through social media to create a personal brand. He had a Facebook fol- lowing of more than 60,000 ‘fans’ and regularly posted videos of himself on YouTube. Following his death, however, coverage of Zyzz exploded, with both social and traditional media discussing his death, his status as a role model and celebrity, and the growing use of steroids among amateur bodybuilders. This chapter compares posthumous representations and memories of Zyzz across multiple platforms, including niche bodybuilding fan sites (BodySpace, Shredded), popular social networking sites (Facebook, YouTube) and other online information-sharing or discussion forums (Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC, Squidoo). Based on a com- parative analysis of content from these platforms, we examine how material ecologies and social collaborations of commemoration in dig- ital networks shape and re-shape the collective memory of Zyzz. This analysis draws on the multiple disciplines of the authors, including media studies, digital anthropology, technology studies and human– computer interaction, to outline the various social and technical tra- jectories involved in retrospectively remembering and prospectively memorializing the dead online. In so doing, we offer a new perspec- tive on interactions between digital media and memory (Garde-Hansen, 261