Have You Prepared Your "Social Media Will"?
By: Malina Andre
Does social media control your life? Are you so obsessed with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other forms of social media that you wish you could take it with you to the grave? Well now with a Social Media Will you can indirectly do just that. Yup, that’s right a “social media will” actually exists.
According to USA.gov, in addition to writing a will that outlines how you want your property to be distributed after you die, the government now advises all social media users to designate an individual whom they trust to be their online executor in the case of death. This designated person would have access to any social media accounts that you have ever used or accessed. They will then have the power to keep these social media accounts active or terminate them once you are deceased.
If you are wondering ‘When and how should I write my social media will?’ follow these simple steps from www.usa.gov:
1. Review the privacy policies and the terms and conditions of each website where you have a presence.
2. State how you would like your profiles to be handled. You may want to completely cancel your profile or keep it up for friends and family to visit. Some sites allow users to create a memorial profile where other users can still see your profile but can’t post anything new.
3. Give the social media executor a document that lists all the websites where you have a profile, along with your usernames and passwords.
4. Stipulate in your will that the online executor should have a copy of your death certificate. The online executor may need this as proof in order for websites to take any actions on your behalf.
The idea of a ‘Social Media Will’ may seem outrageous but just take a minute to think about it. Without designating one person as your online executor all hell could break loose in a family dispute. By granting a family member or friend the power to extinguish or maintain your Facebook or Twitter pages you will avoid family turmoil, a possible identity theft or breach of information.
Some of you may be thinking that you would in fact like all of your accounts to be terminated. According to both Twitter and Facebook’s website a friend or family member of the deceased can remove deceased user’s account but only with proof of a death certificate.
Others may feel that they would like their pages to stay up for memorial or remembrance purposes. Facebook offers the option to turn a profile into a memorial page after a person’s death. Friends and users have the ability to post on the memorial page at their convenience. When an account is memorialized, only confirmed friends can see the profile (timeline) or locate it in Search, according to Facebook. Additionally, once an account has been memorialized, it becomes completely secure and cannot be accessed or altered by anyone.
So you have this option to create a social media will but you wish you had some control over what happens before you die. While many of us will leave our log-on information for family and friends in a social media will when we pass away others may be excited to send out tweets and update their statuses from the grave…unheard of right? Wrong.
Websites now exist where it is in fact possible to uphold a social media presence after death. One website in particular, DeadSocial, allows anyone to create a free account in which they may build their ‘Digital Legacy’ by scheduling and posting predesigned content to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn at particular dates and times. The site even allows users to send out a final message to their friends and followers on the Internet. Creating content on DeadSocial before one passes away can ensure that social media presence thrives even in the afterlife.
Sites such as DeadSocial bring about change in social media and give the opportunity to create a digital legacy that far exceeds our life expectancy. However these sites pose problems for grieving family members and individuals questioning a sharing of confidential information.
While the ability to wish your loved ones ‘Happy Birthday’ year after year on DeadSocial is extraordinary it may create complications in coping mechanisms. Some may argue that posts from a deceased loved one popping up on your timeline could trigger feelings of loss and remorse.
Some also question the idea of relinquishing passwords for others to access online accounts. But in the long run it is the smartest decision one can make. The last thing you would want is for your account to be abused in any way.
At the end of the day it is important to value our social media presence that we have built over the years. Don’t forget to appreciate those friends and followers you have added since you discovered Facebook and Twitter so many, many ‘likes’, wall posts and tweets ago.
Will you grant a special person in your life the sacred access to your accounts or will you choose to terminate your accounts and erase all evidence of photos, friends, memories and a social media life? Share your thoughts in the comments below!