Ryan Wilks
Have you ever wondered what happens to your Facebook profile when you die? Well, some people are just finding out and it’s left some feeling uncomfortable…
The social media platform is a way for you to stay connected with family and friends, as well as share thoughts, activities, and photos from your daily lives.
For those who’ve been on Facebook since the early days of the 2000s, it serves as a comprehensive record of your life.
But what happens to all these memories and special moments when you pass away?
Thinking about what happens to your social media accounts when you die may be slightly unsettling…
People have been sharing their experiences of interacting with Facebook profiles after death.
One person writes: “I will never delete my dad’s FB page it’s comforting to see the memories pop up.”
Another agrees: “My dad’s is still up and I love to see his comments on my Facebook memories. I’ll never remove him from my FB and just like anyone else I’ve lost, their number is still in my phone contacts.”
While a third adds: “I have over a dozen of Facebook friends that are deceased, including my husband. I like seeing memories pop up and past comments from them, or their birthdays. It’s a nice way to remember them as they lived.”
Meta – the creators of Facebook – has come up with several options so users can memorialize their Facebook profile.
To prevent your Facebook profile from disappearing, you have the option to memorialize it.
This involves the word ‘remembering’ being displayed next to your name.
You can choose to confirm this while you are alive, or your family and friends can make this request after your passing.
This helpful option ensures that your loved ones will still be able to access content such as posts, messages, and photos.
It also means that they will still be able to post independently to the deceased person’s Facebook account, depending on their privacy settings.
All of the original content shared by the deceased person will remain on the Facebook profile and continue to be visible to the people with whom it was originally shared.
If someone passes away, keeping their profile active ensures that the account won’t appear in suggestions, friends’ lists, ads, or birthday reminders.
This can be a sensible choice to maintain a sense of privacy and respect for the deceased individual and their loved ones.
Whilst it may seem daunting that you may no longer have access to remove or alter posts after your passing Facebook now offers the option to choose a ‘legacy contact’, a designated individual with the ability to access your memorialised profile.
The selected user can manage tribute posts to the profile, respond to friend requests, update profile pictures and cover photos, and also request the account be deleted if the family or friends’ decision changes at a later date.
Related Article: Mark Zuckerberg Warns Facebook Users Not To Screenshot Chats
Related Article: Words You Should Never Google, According To People Who Have
Do you have a story for us? If so, email us at [email protected]. All contact will be treated in confidence.
