While doing some research recently, I started to think more about the fields of study that together form a foundation for the digital afterlife. I have always maintained that this is a multi-faceted topic, but I didn’t realize how true that statement was. Identity – online content is a projection of our identity into the […]
Archive | Cultural
Digital afterlife predictions for 2010
It’s that time of year and there’s one thing that the Internet is not short of–predictions about what will happen in 2010. And like most others out there, we have an opinion too. Let’s take a brief look back at 2009. Without doubt, 2009 was the emerging year for the digital afterlife. Since we started […]
What do you want to happen to your Facebook profile after you die?
What do you want to happen to your Facebook profile after you die?
Archive your digital identity, the afterlife
Once you’re dead and gone – past the time when anyone that you know is alive – will your digital identity remain? Will your future descendants be able to look at your images and videos, read your writing, and get to know what your life was like here on Earth? Most likely, but currently there […]
Online Identity
We’ve discussed several times the value of the past, that desire to know more about those who came before you. And we’ve postulated that the digital age presents an opportunity for individuals to be known by future generations through their online postings. Preservation issues aside, this raises the question of identity. Is an online persona […]
Your Online Persona
How does the Internet see you? It’s an odd question, but some folks from the MIT Media Lab are thinking about just that. The project is Personas, a component of the Metropath(ologies) exhibit. From the project’s Web site: It uses sophisticated natural language processing and the Internet to create a data portrait of one’s aggregated […]
Social reefs
I have two friends, Paul and Richard. They only know each other through me. What happens to that social connection when I die? Normally all the social connections created through me after I die may slowly decay. As Richard and Paul die, only the physical artifacts (the photos, letters, etc.) remain. 100 years from now, […]
The artifacts of social interaction
In the physical world, interactions between people are remembered. Sometimes the interaction leaves behind physical artifacts. Letters are frequently treasured objects – remembrances of love, loss, and revolution. Photos of people long gone often become family heirlooms. That fact that interactions help form our self identity and our bonds to other people reminds us that […]
Digital Death is Born
… along with the promise of a digital after life. The concept of “digital death” and “digital afterlife” are just beginning to enter into the public consciousness. We see a constant stream of writers, academics, and entrepreneurs that are realizing the coming importance of digital death and afterlife. What we know Interacting and expressing yourself […]
Selecting a Digital Executor
With all of the conversation surrounding the digital afterlife, one thing is certain: you can’t deal with it by yourself. You need a person or a service to help you. Services are popping up left and right, just check our (hopefully) comprehensive list. Still, for some things, you really need someone to help you out. […]