Discussing death is inherently complex, and the intricacies amplify with the digital aspects of contemporary life.
Research suggests that by 2100, Facebook could potentially host around 4.9 billion deceased users. In fact, projections indicate that by 2070, the deceased may surpass the living on the platform. “[Facebook] prohibits family members from accessing a person’s account, even posthumously,” explains Jordan Frith, a Pearce professor specializing in professional communication at Clemson University in South Carolina. “While they permit account deletion, it is a lengthy process requiring proof of death, which complicates matters during an already difficult period,” Frith adds. Many choose to create memorial pages on Facebook, which also necessitates proof of death. This process coincides with the traditional protocols surrounding death: organizing a funeral, locating and executing a will, and sorting through a deceased’s personal belongings.
The business surrounding death is on the rise. In the United States, approximately 76 million individuals were born between 1946 and 1964, with 10,000 reaching the age of 65 each day. The urgency for services like virtual funerals has intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of managing digital assets. In 2012, Forever.com was established to provide digital storage and a repository for users’ photos, laying the groundwork for the burgeoning industry dedicated to preserving one’s digital legacy.
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Surprisingly, ninety percent of American adults are unaware of the fate of their digital assets—such as emails, social media accounts, online banking information, and passwords—after they pass away.
“Consider this: if you were to die today, would your spouse or family be able to locate not just your financial records but also your cryptocurrency, domain names, and Google photos?” queries Rikard Steiber, founder and CEO of GoodTrust, a platform that aids families in handling digital legacies. “Unfortunately, many priceless memories and assets could be lost forever,” he cautions. GoodTrust allows users to establish accounts listing their online services and detailing their wishes, making it simpler for heirs to find necessary instructions. This information can be shared immediately or can wait until after the user’s death—whichever the user prefers. The company also experiments with cutting-edge technologies, such as video reenactment and artificial intelligence, to animate still images, allowing loved ones, such as a deceased grandmother, to communicate messages through what they call a “digital time capsule.”
A Canadian counterpart to California’s GoodTrust is ReadyWhen, which focuses on digital estate management. Its CEO and founder, Jessie Vaid, a notary who has overseen numerous estate planning documents, notes that resolving an estate can take as long as three years and involve considerable stress and expense. The situation is exacerbated in the unpredictable realm of digital assets. “When someone dies, it’s like being a document detective trying to uncover all the necessary information,” Vaid explains.
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Dealing with death is a sobering endeavor. In light of national crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals find themselves reevaluating their end-of-life plans—an aspect of life that historically carried a level of stigma, according to Alison Johnston, CEO of Ever Loved, a tech company that simplifies the logistics families face after a loved one’s passing. Johnston likens the memorial websites created through Ever Loved to “digital tombstones.” These sites allow users to post obituaries, provide funeral information, and even livestream ceremonies, a function that gained increased demand during the pandemic. However, these memorial sites serve not just to acknowledge the end of life, but also to celebrate it by tracing the life journey of the deceased.
While memorial websites are the most sought-after offering from Ever Loved, a smaller segment of the population expresses greater concern for their digital legacies than the specifics surrounding their memorials. A significant portion—three-quarters—of new users at Trust & Will, another California-based online service offering estate planning tools, are millennials or members of Gen Z, as stated by Patrick Hicks, the company’s legal lead.
In September 2021, Trust & Will conducted a survey of 1,000 millennials in the United States (ages 25 to 40) regarding end-of-life planning and digital transfers. Findings indicated that the pandemic has acted as a catalyst in their considerations of digital legacies. While 68% of surveyed millennials did not possess a will, 72% of those who did had either created or updated theirs during the pandemic. “For millennials and Gen Z, their digital identities are closely intertwined with their lives,” Hicks observes. Boomers may still engage with platforms like Facebook or Instagram, yet for younger generations, the digital realm is fundamental. The report, aptly titled “The Great Wake-Up Call,” revealed that over half of the millennials surveyed prioritized granting their executors access to their social media accounts over ensuring access to their emails, subscriptions, or shopping accounts. This could explain why Ali Briggs, CEO of Chicago-based LifeWeb 360, which also addresses issues of digital legacy, refers to her initiative as “social media for the soul.”
Creating a LifeWeb can take users less than three minutes, capturing their affection for the deceased through an endless array of photos, texts, and video memories. Briggs emphasizes that the focus of their business is not on “cleaning up” digitally after someone’s demise but rather on facilitating the community’s love during times when grieving families may find it hard to embrace external support.
“Families in mourning can revisit these LifeWebs at their own pace,” she notes. “You can cherish your loved ones by recalling their catchphrases or, if they were known for their humor, cherish those quirks too.” Briggs urges users to embrace spirited recollections, highlighting that LifeWebs are continually evolving: “The passing of a loved one doesn’t erase their presence in your life.”
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Frith remarks that digital legacy services provide intriguing avenues for navigating the complexities of digital afterlife arrangements. “If family members lack access to passwords and cannot reach their deceased’s online accounts, those accounts may remain active for extended periods and may hold personal information meant to be kept private after passing,” he cautions, although he questions the robustness of these business models.
“Certain services, like GoodTrust, appear to be creating a means for users to store logins and establish social media wills, indicating what should happen to their online profiles posthumously,” Frith highlights. He expresses skepticism about blanket solutions, suggesting that relying entirely on a single company to replace estate lawyers and funeral directors may not resonate with everyone.
Is there a promising future in the management of the digital legacies we leave behind? Definitely, filled with competition, Frith asserts. The digital legacy is already a multifaceted and delicate issue, and it’s poised to grow as more individuals engage online in various ways. However, we must tread carefully about innovating too drastically without recognizing existing models.
“Many attorneys already provide such services. If individuals formalize a will with a lawyer, they can also include directives for their social media and accounts post-death. Quite a few attorneys offer such services,” Frith notes. “Yes, competition in this domain will be fierce, but the landscape might not be as revolutionary as the companies present it.”
