Statistics Source : (https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview)
Here are some mind-boggling statistics about Social media use—There are roughly 3.5 billion active users on social media, and 6.4 new accounts are registered every second. Typically a user has 7.6 social media accounts. Every day, they use social media for about 144 minutes and spend almost 7 hours online.
In the 21st century, the majority of the world’s population has some digital presence with social media accounts, emails, blogs, websites, and many more, but the thought of what happens to our online accounts after our death seldom crosses our minds. How do you want to safeguard online account in your absence?
You can choose to memorialize your online account or assign an executor of your will to carry out your wishes. Either way, It is essential to protect them after one’s demise. Also, you can request to memorialize or close an account of a deceased person close to you. Here is a step-by-step guide that you can follow.
How do I request to memorialize the account of a deceased member?
So, what happens to the social media accounts that your beloved friend or family member left behind? Unlike in the past, social media platforms now provide you with an option to memorialize your online account or assign a legacy contact as a will executor.
If you find that a social media account such as Instagram or Facebook is still active even after the death of a person, who was close to you, you can put a request to memorialize them on their behalf. Memorializing will ensure the safety of the online accounts they left behind as a part of their digital legacy.
Memorialize request facebook account
Even if your close ones have passed away without appointing someone as their legacy contact, you can still put in a request to memorialize their Facebook account. However, you must provide the following information when requesting to memorialize a Facebook account.
- Name of the person who died as mentioned on the Facebook account.
- Email address connected to the account you want to memorialize.
- Mention the year they passed away when requesting memorialization.
- Your real name and relationship with the deceased person.
- A link to an obituary, news article, or death certificate as proof of death.
- Provide your email Id as a medium of contact.
A memorialized account will not appear in “People You May Know” or “Facebook Ads,” nor will it send birthday reminders. Memorialize request Facebook account will protect it from hackers because memorialized accounts can no longer be accessed or logged in.
Memorialize request Instagram account
Instagram allows both family and friends to request memorialization for an account. You can request Instagram to memorialize an account from the Instagram Help Center. When submitting a request, you must provide your real identity, email address, the departed’s name, and Instagram username. You must also include evidence of the demise.
However, It is crucial to remember that Instagram retains the control to accept or reject your request. It could take some time before memorialization is enabled. Bidding farewell to a loved one can be challenging, and to save them from further complications in a time of grief, plan to memorialize your online account beforehand.
Memorializing other online accounts
Your loved one may also have social media accounts such as those on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, Quora, or any other platforms on which they were active. Each online account offers the option to respect one’s request regarding whether to keep or delete the accounts after the owner’s demise, according to their policies.
When a loved one passes away, social media accounts might be the very last thing on your mind. Some never even deal with them and ignore them. However, if your loved one informed you that they would want these accounts memorialized or deleted, you may want to address them as quickly as you can.
You can assign nominees for your social media accounts ahead of time. It ensures that your accounts are in safe hands. However, all online accounts do not have a memorialization option. In such cases, you can also request to close an account on behalf of a deceased member.
How do I request to close an account of a deceased member?
We frequently neglect our loved one’s social media profiles after their demise. It is wise to consider Social media and online accounts when finalizing a loved one’s affairs. You can request to close an online account that belonged to someone you knew but passed away. Here is a list of requirements to close different online accounts after one has passed away.
Facebook: Immediate family members can close a Facebook account of a loved one if they provide proof of death. Proof of authority as a representative of the deceased person.
Google: You can request Google to close an account of someone close to you after they pass away. Google requests the deceased’s death certificate, ID, and other documents to validate the request to close an account.
Instagram: To close the Instagram account, you will need to provide proof of death, such as a link to any news articles or an obituary, or a death certificate.
YouTube: Immediate family members and friends of a deceased person can request to close their youtube account. In certain situations, you can also request funds and content if the account was monetized by adhering to youtube’s policies.
Twitter: A person authorized to act on behalf of the deceased, a verified family member can request to close their Twitter account. You will be required to provide the username and Twitter name of the deceased user and a copy of their death certificate.
LinkedIn: To close a LinkedIn account, you will need to provide the user’s name and email address, their profile URL, your relationship to the deceased, the date they passed away, a link to their obituary, and the company they most recently worked in.
To memorialize your online account or close it after your demise is the best way to protect your digital legacy. Once it has been memorialized, Can anyone log into that account? What happens to these accounts?
What happens after an account is memorialized?
Memorialized accounts like Facebook and Instagram contain the phrase “Remembering” next to the user’s name in their profile. It is not possible to log into these accounts. They don’t appear in public searches. Only a designated legacy contact can manage the account once memorialized. However, they can not have access to any personal information like personal chats.
No one will be able to edit any of the account’s past postings or data once memorialized. That includes photos, videos, comments on shared posts, profile pictures, followers, and privacy settings. Only a legacy contact has primary access to changing profile pictures, responding to friend requests, and pinning tribute posts.
Giving someone else access to your accounts after you’ve left could be unsettling. However, your social accounts might serve as a venue for remembrance for loved ones to support one another. You can guide your loved ones through a challenging period by assigning an executor for your social media accounts.
How can I assign an executor?
To protect your online accounts, you must appoint an executor. It helps to protect your privacy and carry out instructions upon your death. You can choose a friend or relative to memorialize or close your social media accounts after your passing.
What is the role of an executor?
The roles and responsibilities of an executor start after the demise of a person. An executor is someone who carries out your final wishes.
Who can be an executor?
It must be a person who you can trust with your final wishes. It can be someone close to you, a friend, or a family member. You may appoint an executor differently for your social media accounts alone if you don’t want your family members to access them.
Why do you need an executor for your online accounts?
Appointing a will executor for your online accounts will help your next keen carry out your final wishes. It will also ensure that your online accounts are in safe hands even after you have passed away.
If you plan to include social media accounts in your estate planning, your executor of estate will carry out your instructions about social media accounts. Ultimately, selecting an executor is a very personal choice.
Today, how people remember us heavily depends on our social media. They provide access to your memories or fragments after your passing. Consider how to handle them once you are gone.
Conclusion
With the increase in social media use and the use of online accounts to store our invaluable assets and data, it has become necessary to safeguard online accounts. With so much of our emotions attached to social media accounts, it is understandable if we wish to leave behind our digital legacy and protect it even after our death.
You can decide to memorialize your online account or close it. You can also request to memorialize or close an account that belonged to someone close to you. However, It is best to assign an executor to take care of your social media accounts. Assigning an executor of will help you safeguard your accounts and
We at Clocr provide you with services like Social Media Will, Digital Estate, and many more. You can create a Social Media will for your social media accounts to help your loved one know your wishes to memorialize or close them in your absence. Our services, such as Digital Vault and Digital Estate, will help you to protect your digital assets and let your wishes known to your next kin. Join Clocr today to leave behind an unforgettable digital legacy.
