This story originally appeared in The Brock News
By Amanda Bishop

Professor Foster presenting at the International Association for Media and Communication Research this summer.

Forty-four years ago, Terry Fox captured the hearts of the nation by running across Canada on one leg to raise funds for cancer research. Although the beloved Canadian is no longer here to personally continue his Marathon of Hope, his legacy lives on through annual memorial runs and, according to Brock’s Derek Foster, through Instagram.

Fox, who succumbed to his battle with cancer in 1981, is at the centre of Foster’s recent research involving public memory, social media and well-being.

As part of his ongoing research into how the celebrated Canadian is remembered in popular culture, the Brock Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film analyzed hundreds of Instagram posts created by people who visited Fox memorial sites.

In the lead-up to this year’s Terry Fox Run, held annually in September, Foster says he wanted to see how user-generated content creates and shapes the public memory of Fox compared to the Terry Fox Foundation’s official messaging about runs and fundraising.

“The public memory of Terry Fox is very much forward looking, in the sense that what he was pursuing in 1980 is still a collective endeavour for people motivated by finding a cure for cancer,” says Foster. “So, the memory isn’t just tied to the past through a lens of nostalgia, but rather, connected to our present and also a dream of a future.”

Foster’s review showed about one third of his sample made clear references not only to emotional experiences, such as visitors being moved to tears, but also to what he calls “self-transcendent emotions” such as awe and gratitude.

He also notes the posts don’t appear to be driven by a desire for engagement, as social media posts often are. In fact, only a small number of people liked or commented on the posts he reviewed. Foster says it’s significant that “the hashtag isn’t driving the discourse” because it shows a level of sincerity from the creators.

“What we see is the vernacular memory — everyday people as they are deciding to create, produce and circulate these thoughts and experiences on their own, not organized in any way,” he says.

Foster also says the way individuals are using social media to share their personal experiences with Fox memorials is an excellent case study on the legacies of public figures.

“Most public memory involves looking back to build a sense of community or reinforce certain values that we can then use as we move forward,” says Foster. “That is far more explicit in the public memory around Terry Fox than other figures — the aim is not just to maintain him in memory but to continue to strive for the goal that he wasn’t able to reach.”