Monday, June 1, 2009

Digital afterlife

Digital technology is changing just about everything we do, including death.

It used to be more simple. One died, then according to one's will, family took possession of what remained and kept or destroyed journals and pictures accordingly. Obituaries were in the local newspaper and sympathy cards were mailed. The digital world has altered it all and created many new legal questions that are yet to be resolved.

For one, what happens to all your email and online accounts? Unless specified in your will then it really depends. If family members know your passwords, they may be able to sift through and even keep things like your facebook page and twitter accounts "alive" after you are gone. In fact, some use these accounts as a place for virtual mourning. People can post condolences on facebook pages, post pictures in remembrance, etc. A digital memorial may ensue.


Here's an example of a facebook memorial. This example is of a specific memorial created as a group after this person died. People join and leave comments of condolence. The other way memorials are created are when people leave messages on the deceased profile page. What many find different in the way of typical condolences is that people then address the deceased personally. These few examples are from an 18 year old girl who died in March of this year in Colorado Springs:

"I hope alls well up there. we're gonna miss you an awful lot down here."
"I walked into church today and thought I saw you walking across the foyer. Just so you know, there's a girl that looks so much like you it's insane."
"hey girl hey. so this morning I had the horror (or pleasure?) of waking up to a giant bushy squirrel. ... obviously I thought of you and our mutual squirrel obsession."


If this makes you a bit squeamish with uncertainty, there are new companies out now to help sort through the thorny issues of digital afterlife.

Legacy Locker was created this year as a "safe and secure way to pass your online accounts to your friends and loved ones". For a small fee you can assign what you want done with your digital property. You can store passwords to favorite accounts and designate what you want done with these after you die.

As for digital memorials, well known site Legacy.com has a large market. For a small fee, you can create a digital legacy, with photos and video, a link to the paper obituary and even a guest book for friends to sign. Of course, to keep it up and online, you must continue to pay a fee each year. The site has some online current examples here.

Mylastemail.com has combined the ideas of legacy locker with legacy.com by allowing the person themselves to pre-design their own memorial. They offer a way to store financial and legal papers on line, as well as upload photos and videos. You get to write your own story and then you choose who gets invited to open this lock box of goodies after you die. With this service, once you die, no one can change what you've already uploaded and designed. The site guarantees staying in existence at least 25 years after you die.

One thing is certain, this is just the beginning. If you thought the term "digital afterlife" was a novelty, just wait a few years and see where things are!




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