How can we make sure our photos, videos, playlists and social media accounts don’t get lost after we die?

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"We chose to memorialise Dad's Facebook and Instagram accounts"

Emily's dad died in September 2022 after a short illness. She took the lead on managing his digital accounts.

"My dad, Nick, had always embraced new technology," says Emily. "He'd worked in IT since the 1980s and, growing up, my siblings and I been the first of our friends to have high speed internet at home. So, when he died, I was aware that he had few social media accounts that we'd need to decide the future of."

"He'd been most active on Facebook and Instagram, and thankfully I was set up as his legacy contact, so choosing to memorialise or delete those accounts would prove very straightforward.

"Once I'd uploaded his death certificate, it didn't take long for the accounts to shift over. The word 'Remembering' appeared as a prefix to his name on his Facebook profile. His once-active timeline became a tribute wall. And at the top of it was the post I'd made, sharing the sad news that he'd died."

"We still get Facebook memories that pop up of things he'd posted"

"For us, deleting Dad's social media accounts felt too final," says Emily. "I still have his phone number saved in my mobile contacts – there's something about keeping those lines of communication open that feels comforting, even in his absence. So we chose to memorialise his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

"Keeping them means we still get Facebook memories that pop up of things he'd posted or comments he'd made. My brother and I have found them funny, at times, as well as sad. I'm glad I was able to memorialise his accounts as it feels more secure than just leaving them up and unchanged. The whole process would have been much more difficult if he didn't have me set up as his legacy contact."

Stories like Emily's show just how important it can be to have these conversations with your loved ones, so you can preserve these precious memories.

Curating your digital legacy before you die

Losing access to memories during bereavement can be tough. My own experiences have shown me the importance of digital memories such as photographs, videos and music playlists.

I have spoken with hospice patients who have considered curating their existing digital legacy and are also creating memories in the form of videos to leave behind for family and friends. I have also spoken with people who have recorded voice notes to go alongside a physical photograph to give more depth to that photograph. Music is very personal; a song can spark a number of memories, so a playlist could be incredibly important to a bereaved person.

My current PhD research will look to explore what people with palliative care needs, their caregivers and bereaved people understand about digital legacy. Really, everyone is different, but it is important to open up conversations about digital legacies, because it may not be something people have thought about.

Learn more about managing your online accounts or those of a loved one.

Sarah Stanley's research has investigated healthcare professionals' understanding of managing digital legacies  and the need for more awareness in this area, as well as the importance of including digital legacy in planning for the end of life.