Recently published statistics estimate that between 1.5 and 3 million Facebook users will pass away in 2011. In order to arrive at this figure, our colleagues at Entrustet looked at the number of active Facebook users and cross applied that data with mortality rates compiled by the Center for Disease Control. The company found that over 400,000 Facebook ghosts will be created this year in the United States alone. Online memorial site 1000Memories claims that the large number of Facebook users coupled with an aging Facebook population sets the online community up for large numbers of users passing on. This raises an important question: What to do with your Facebook ghosts?
I take this matter very seriously, and very personally. In the past 6 months I’ve unfortunately experienced the loss of two friends, candidly the first two losses I’ve experienced in the “Facebook” era. Along with my real world mourning, I am also faced with their digital specters, not just on Facebook, but they appear as suggested contacts on Quora and I see them on LinkedIn from time to time. Others have written about their mixed emotions when Facebook suggests that they reconnect with loved ones who have passed on (although Facebook says suggesting users interact with dead friends and family was a deliberate decision).
Since we know that not everybody out there is using a service like ours to help take preventative steps, we can state with certainty that all users will inevitably encounter more online ghosts in the coming months and years. Here are several options available to you when confronted with a Facebook ghost. Disclaimer: the below might sound a little insensitive, but it’s pretty hard to talk about the topic without being really direct. So I’m not trying to trivialize the sensitivities, but to give practical advice anyone can use/follow.
Do Nothing
The reality is that an inactive Facebook profile will not show up that much, other than as a “reconnect” message intermittently. For some, taking no action at all is the best course of action.
Unfriend Them
I find this a very uncomfortable action, but I can understand why some people would want to do this. The notion of seeing a dead person online can be difficult (especially with the feeling that there’s nothing you can do about it). Many people will have strong reactions when confronted with Facebook Ghosts and for them unfriending is the solution that makes the most sense.
Create a Group
One way to at least “compartmentalize” the issue would be to create a Facebook Group. This will help keep Ghosts in a manageable place for those who do want to memorialize people, but not be confronted with uncomfortable moments on a frequent basis.
Report the Profile as Passed On
WARNING: this should not be handled lightly.
Taking this step is permanent and can not be undone and you must not do it alone. Ultimately the end-of-life digital decisions should be made by the family and loved ones of the deceased. This is why sites like Legacy Locker exist. We would like to see people have these important conversations when they can, and not leave these matters to chance after someone passes on.
As Facebook users continue to age, the number of ghosts will likely increase in the coming years. I probably won’t experience another Facebook death for quite some time (knock on wood), but I know that I haven’t seen my last digital spirit. It is interesting in that when we started Legacy Locker we saw this as a problem that people would have to face in the near future. Now online death and digital asset management is actually a reality for me personally.
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