The End Of Your Digital Life

There’s a whole digital life to be lived online, with photos, videos, social media and endless entertainment. However, with this flourishing digital world comes the need to plan for your online presence after you’ve died, handing over information and material to those who will truly cherish it.

Passing On To A Loved One

In some ways, it’s harder to prepare for the end of your digital life. Out of sight, out of mind, it’s difficult to remember the wealth of material on the internet, even when it speaks volumes about you. There’s much for your friends and family to hold dear, including photos, videos, digital art and manuscripts, in addition to purchased songs, films or eBooks. Who do you want to hold these memories? It’s worthwhile naming this material in your will so it isn’t completely forgotten, even if it holds no monetary value whatsoever; these precious things can function as a real legacy of love, whether they’re physical or intangible.

Of course, there’s the matter of giving your loved ones access to your digital life. The majority of our online presence is protected by passwords and two-factor authentication, so you need to consider some safe method of storing login details, such as a password manager. There are various versions which act as keys to all of your online accounts, which you can either keep on an app or browser, print off or download onto a memory stick. USBs or printouts can then be stored securely in a safe or lockbox, where they can remain until the time comes for them to be passed on.

The Practical Side Of Your Digital Life

Nothing permeates our life more than social media. These platforms are a hub of photos, videos and contacts, with many of us only connected with certain people via an online friendship. To stop your account existing, inactive, forever, Facebook and Instagram have the option to name a legacy contact, who will have access to the account after you die. A banner will appear informing people you are being remembered, so your nominee will be unable to post as you. Instead, they may manage any tribute posts, choosing who can post, see and remove content. They may update your profile or cover picture, respond to friend requests or even ask for the account to be shut down, although you might prefer them to keep it open as a way for contacts to pay tribute after you’ve gone.

This isn’t accounting for the masses of data many people store up during their digital life. Much of it isn’t even restricted to one computer, especially with the advent of cloud storage and Google drive. Google has come up with a solution, with their Inactive Account Manager automatically handing over control of the account to a designated person after a certain period of inactivity. You can give general access or customise what they can view, specifying from which services your nominee can download. It’s an efficient form of data protection, although there’s always the option to go old-fashioned with a memory stick!

Our Light Inside

There’s much to do, but we’ve created an online space to collate all of the information you wish to pass onto your loved ones. At Our Light Inside, you have the perfect portal to prepare for the end of your physical and digital life, with lists of contact details, space to store special memories, a section for loving messages and even a place to put down different funeral ideas. After you die, your personal profile is sent to your nominees, offering them comfort and practical help at a difficult time.

Find Out More

Get in touch to enquire about Our Light Inside membership or ask questions by emailing us at help@ourlightinside.com. We would love for you to find peace of mind by using our resources!