The old saying “A tiger leaves its skin when it dies, and a person leaves their name” might soon be updated to “A person leaves data after death.” Unlike physical remains, data does not decay, leading to growing interest in how the social media accounts of the deceased are managed. In the past, scholars’ works, literary pieces, and diaries of famous individuals were considered valuable records. But with the widespread use of social media, even ordinary people now leave personal records online. As a result, posts from the deceased are likely to be used as historical data for researchers and as a basis for various commercial uses, such as AI-driven memorials.
Deceased accounts on social media are expected to increase over time. Facebook, a leading social media platform, has allowed sign-ups with just an email address since September 2006. Considering the average human lifespan, the number of deceased accounts is projected to rise sharply in the latter half of the 21st century. According to Carl Öhman, a professor at Uppsala University and author of “The Afterlife of Data,” Facebook could have 1.2 billion deceased users by 2060, reaching 4.9 billion by the end of the century. He suggests that as the century progresses, the growth of deceased accounts will accelerate, potentially creating a vast “digital cemetery” on social media. By the early 22nd century, these accounts could outnumber those of the living. Similar trends are expected on other platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
Deleting deceased accounts is not impossible. Facebook allows a deceased person’s family or designated representatives to delete the account by providing a power of attorney, will, or death certificate. Similar processes exist for X (formerly Twitter) and Google accounts, where immediate family members can request deletion. However, many deceased accounts remain because families often choose to preserve them as a digital space for remembrance, or simply do not request deletion, leading to these accounts being effectively abandoned.
Scholars believe that posts and photos left by the deceased on social media could serve as valuable historical records in the future. Fiona Cameron, a professor at Western Sydney University and author of “The Future of Digital Data, Heritage, and Curation,” said, “Posts on Instagram or X have cultural heritage value worth preserving. For example, posts by former [U.S.] President Donald Trump during his tenure provide a record of his governance.” Professor Akiko Orita of Kanto Gakuin University added, “Information left by the deceased captures universal emotions, behaviors, and trends of their time and is thus valuable as historical documentation.”
Social media is teeming with posts on politically and socially sensitive issues, such as the Arab Spring, the MeToo movement, and the Black Lives Matter campaign. Some experts argue that these posts should be considered public data. Just as donated bodies advance medical science, the digital footprints of deceased individuals can provide valuable insights for social scientists and historians. These experts advocate for granting access rights to this data.
There are instances where people seek to communicate with deceased family members or loved ones through their social media writings. AI chatbots, known as deathbots or thanabots, have emerged to facilitate this. These services allow users to engage in text conversations with the deceased by training AI on their social media data. For instance, in 2020, Joshua Barbeau from Toronto used a game program based on ChatGPT to converse with his late girlfriend, Jessica Pereira, utilizing her Facebook posts to replicate her manner of speaking.
However, critics argue that such ‘AI necromancy’ without the deceased’s consent is ethically questionable. Earlier this year, an AI-generated video of the late Chinese singer Qiao Renliang was uploaded to Douyin, a short-video app in China, raising concerns about unauthorized AI resurrection. The video was removed following protests from the family, but posts offering AI resurrection videos for a fee (about 588 yuan, 110,000 won, $80) continued to circulate on Douyin. Scholars caution that even if families desire it, AI-generated conversations with the deceased might merely be a marketing ploy designed to encourage ongoing spending by providing agreeable responses.
The data of the deceased may also have various commercial applications in the future. According to Professor Orita’s paper titled ‘Using Deceased People’s Personal Data,’ about 20% of the 2,749 Japanese adults surveyed indicated they would permit the use of their digital personal information, such as social media posts, after death if appropriately compensated. This suggests significant potential for the commercial exploitation of deceased individuals’ information in various ways in the future.
This article was originally published on July 25, 2024.
