Even though it’s not always something we like to talk about, death is the natural progression of human life here on earth. But after reading a blog post on ZDNet’s tech news site, I encountered another aspect to death: digital death. While this may seem like it’s going in a gruesome direction, I can ensure you it’s not; what the article talked about was the various online accounts such as Hotmail, Facebook, and Twitter and what happens to them once someone dies.
In retrospect it seems logical, but I never thought that these companies would have policies for users who pass away. According to Facebook’s policy, next of kin may request that the site be removed or remain in place as a memorial. Hotmail offers next of kin access to the deceased person’s account as long as the request follows certain guidelines.
As we become continuously dependent on technology (not only in the U.S. but across the globe) I only expect this will become a more pressing issue. These online tools we use can often be very personal and the question must be asked, what if a person doesn’t want that information shared. Conversely, a record of someone’s Facebook or email can provide significant insight into the lives of that person that we’ve never had access to in the past.
I’d like to end this post with a cute video I saw about how technology can be used in creating memories:
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