New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- When ad legend Piyush Pandey died last month, a catalogue of my interactions with him over eight years of reporting on the advertising industry resurfaced in memory. A tribute began forming in my head, almost reflexively. Then I paused to ask: Was I mourning Piyush Pandey, or memorialising the recognition he gave to my work? In the days that followed, I scrolled through social media and noticed how among the genuine outpouring of grief, many posts weren't really about him, but about the experience of being acknowledged by him.

Grief has no rulebook, but if it did, rule No.1 would be that there's no wrong way to mourn. Still, how has the internet shaped our grieving process, especially when we lose someone who existed...