The first link on my Google search for the term “Digital death” was to a website digital death. The tagline reads “YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU. Are you allowing others to claim your DIGITAL assets after you die?” I couldn’t believe my eyes for a split second. Are you even serious? Who would accept this crazy business idea of a company that lets its clients give authority of their digital data to third parties (family, spouse or friends) and even tell them that they’re responsible for those assets in the event of the client’s death?

As crazy as it sounded for a moment, now when I have sat down and thought about what happens to my digital data (social media profiles, emails, etc.) after my death and when the reality sinks in, after a long thought……

I STILL FIND IT A STUPID IDEA.

The mission statement of digital death is unthinkable: “Our mission is to provide information and tools to ensure you can control your digital legacy”. What? DIGITAL LEGACY? Do I even consider my digital self a reality, let alone legacy? Apparently, seems like there are people who think otherwise and without proper research, there wouldn’t have been a demand for this absurd-looking idea. Let us explore.

Imagine you have a countless amount of data digitally and upon your death, how do the social platforms deal with it right now? For instance, Yahoo terminates an account immediately upon receipt of a death certificate, while Twitter offers a full archive of a deceased user’s tweets to their survivors. While this sounds trivial at first sight, it is a boon to consumers who are grappling with their loved one’s digital afterlives. But is this digital afterlife a healthy trend? Only time could answer.

While I personally would still not support the idea of a virtual afterlife which is untrue and a fallacy, proper research has to find how this new trend affects society.

For now, forget death and live life.

What is your one takeaway from this? Do share your feedback by commenting on the post, or shoot me a personal message. Your feedback helps me write better.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram

– Ninja