There has always been money to be made selling the afterlife, and the digital afterlife will be no different. In the near future a host of businesses will spring to life to help us deal with virtual bliss. But what will they offer?
The digital mausoleum.
A place where people can go online to see (or download) the remains of a person. Blog posts, photos, videos, and files would all be stored (or linked to) there. The services will work much like a cemetery – pay once and it will be there forever.
I know that the issues around long term data management are complex. File formats, video codecs, plug-ins and players all contribute to the complexity. A good digital mausoleum would have to maintain the data. Tend it like the grass and the flowers.
Digital Estate Law and Control of Data
Estate lawyers make sure that your will is carried out and that your heirs get what you want them to. In the future their services will likely expand to cover online assets. As usual, these issues will revolve around control of assets and any income (or Google Ad word revenue) being made.
People are already thinking about this.
And people are already making money. AssetLock is already seeling a service, and Dead Man Switch (free) lets you send out a batch of emails when you kick the bucket.
No comments yet.