Social media users are sharing Google Street View images of friends and relatives who have since died, in a trend that has resonated widely online. The movement was sparked by a post on the anonymous confession account Fesshole on Twitter, where a user described searching the platform for images taken before their father's death.
BBC journalist Neil Henderson shared a picture of his late father at his front door, saying: "I have literally hundreds of pics of my dad but the Google Street View is quite affecting, like he's still around." Another user posted an image of a couple holding hands in the street, identifying them as his parents who had died several years ago.
Bernard Baker captured a moment of his mother outside her doorway, captioning it: "My mum creeping outside for a cigarette." Many others said that seeing local images from when their loved ones were alive helped them feel a connection, while some expressed regret that poignant images had been replaced with more recent photos.
Users can view older versions of Street View by tapping the clock icon on the top left of Google Maps, a feature not available on Google Earth. Karim Palant used this tool to find a 2015 image of his late grandfather Charles Palant leaning out of his Paris apartment window to talk to his carer. "He was in that flat for maybe 70 years, and I spent loads of happy times there," Karim said. He added that his grandfather, who was taking computer lessons in his 90s, likely never saw the image, which was discovered after his death. "It's such a sunny day in the photo and he looks so relaxed, it just reminds me of a happy time and place," he said.
Searching Google Street View for strange or poignant moments has become a niche internet pastime, with over 660 million videos tagged on TikTok alone featuring weird finds on the site.
