Have you ever stopped to think what will happen to everything you have uploaded to the Internet? The Facebook photos, the Instagram profile, all the emails for years and years, the WhatsApp conversations. All that will prevail even after the death of a person supposes their digital legacy. And it is convenient to have a plan prepared so that the heirs know what they must do or how they must act to manage the information that is registered on the network about their loved one.
For this, a digital testament will be prepared, with the help of a lawyer, especially if there is any type of property or asset that is valued in economic terms or that generates money. When it comes to emotional memories and archives, the different social networks offer some options for family members.
What is a person’s digital legacy?
The death of a person no longer entails an inheritance of only material things, such as a house, a car or a unique stamp collection. Everything that person has been uploading to the network, in addition to his activity in his multiple spaces, is part of it. The digital legacy are all those files, such as texts, images or videos, that a person —user— has posted on the network in their digital format and that will continue to be there after their death.
This refers to any social network profile, as well as everything uploaded to it, and many other files: data on servers, emails, messaging history, licenses, access data and passwords, subscriptions, blogs, among others. That is why, in addition to an ordinary will, a digital will can be made, in which a difference will be made between the sentimental or the economic. For example, in relation to social media accounts that include monetization and income.
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How to manage the digital legacy?
As with material assets and memories, it is convenient to prepare a digital will in which the heirs of said legacy are indicated and how to proceed or act with the online legacy after the death of the person. Some aspects, such as those that imply economic and financial responsibility, should be managed through a lawyer. But others can be delegated to trusted people, such as the question of what to do with social media profiles.
In relation to this, there are currently several platforms that offer certain services to the relatives and friends of the deceased.
How do social networks manage a death?
1 Facebook. The social network allows the user to choose the person who will take charge of his account when he dies. You can delete it or keep it as a memory thanks to a special function. 2Instagram. On this platform you can also convert the ordinary profile into a commemorative one. 3Twitter, YouTube and Google. They do not have a specific procedure beyond being able to close the accounts of deceased people.
