What happens to your social media accounts when you die? Chances are you haven’t thought about that. “It remains a far-from-the-bed show for many people, but it is important to capture it,” funeral organizations say to NU.nl.
Concrete cijfers over het aantal mensen dat laat vastleggen wat er met hun sociale media moet gebeuren nadat ze zijn overleden, hebben uitvaartorganisaties niet. Maar DELA en Monuta, twee van de grootste uitvaartorganisaties in Nederland, zeggen beide dat ze hier door de jaren heen geen stijgende lijn in hebben gezien.
Volgens een woordvoerder van DELA, dat onlangs de uitvaartorganisatie Yarden overnam, komt het wel eens voorbij in uitvaartgesprekken. Maar dat is eerder uitzondering dan regel. “Wij merken dat het echt nog in de kinderschoenen staat. Dat terwijl bijna iedereen tegenwoordig op sociale media zit.”
Monuta also notices that few people think about this subject. “People who are seriously ill think about it more often. But for people who are still full in life, thinking about their funeral is a long way away. Let alone thinking about what to do with their social media when they are no longer there. are,” said a spokesperson.
Monuta funeral director Ruud Heijnekamp also sees this. According to him, the subject usually only comes up after the funeral or cremation. “People are often only then confronted with reality. For example, because someone does not know that a person has died and congratulates them on their birthday on Facebook.”
In addition, it is difficult to get accounts offline, says Heijnekamp. For example, to have a Facebook or Instagram account deleted from a deceased person, you must provide a death certificate and proof of authorization. At Twitter it is even only possible to deactivate an account, you cannot delete it completely.
Preventing red tape for next of kin
Both DELA and Monuta advise people to take a so-called digital safe from a notary. In it you can not only store confidential documents about yourself, but also information about your accounts, usernames and passwords. You decide who has access to that safe after your death.
By recording what should happen to your social media when you are no longer there, you also avoid administrative hassle for relatives. Heijnekamp: “The next of kin should simply be able to say goodbye properly. It is better to eliminate factors that can hinder that in advance.”
