I first realised my brother was missing when I logged into Facebook one evening to see his bashful face grinning at me from a MISSING notice. Rather absurdly, I wondered why they hadnt picked a better photo of John instead of this blurry, orange-toned selfie. I continued scrolling through Facebook while frantically calling my family. Funny, innocuous videos of cats being alarmed by cucumbers were interspersed with worried messages from friends. Then came the awful, awful Skype call from my parents, when I realised that my brothers digital life was really the only thing I had left of him. His body had been found.
Not much thought is given to ones online legacy after death. Yet according to statistician Hachem Sadikki, by the year 2098, the number of dead people on Facebook will outnumber living members. Our profiles might not have the same crumbling grandeur of Dunedins Southern Cemetery, but our old statuses and selfies will preserve us indefinitely. Sometimes, I imagine my brother floating through cyberspace like an unmoored astronaut.
With 1.86 billion users worldwide, Facebook is an integral part of our lives and our deaths too. While it was not the first social media platform to establish a policy for deceased users, it certainly addressed the issue in a unique way. In the early days of our favourite electronic bulletin board, family members took control of a deceased users account, often posting eerie messages from beyond the grave. There is nothing more surreal than seeing that little green active dot hovering beside a dead friends name in a chat log.
Now however, Facebook ensures ones digital legacy can live on in the form of a memorialised timeline where friends can visit the page, view prior status updates or photographs and leave posts of remembrance. I often find myself scrolling through my brothers Facebook page, digging up silly photos of him pulling faces at the camera, or laughing at his old statuses. Its the other posts though the ones full of sadness and love from his grieving friends that really get to me.
Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram have similar policies, but with other social media platforms, the deceased accounts remain dormant until they are deleted due to inactivity. I think theres a certain sadness to this quiet erasure of ones digital footprint. Some alternatives, however, are far stranger. Take for instance the online service Dead Social. Founded by James Norris after he watched a video of comedian Bob Monkhouse posthumously starring in an advert for prostate cancer, Dead Social allows people to schedule posts after they have died. I have to admit, if I am ever diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ill probably use this service to plague my friends and loved ones with awful jokes and puns long after Ive shuffled off this mortal coil.
It gets weirder though. In my favourite episode of the British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror, a young womans boyfriend is tragically killed in a car accident. As she grieves, the woman discovers a technology that allows her to communicate with an artificial intelligence imitating her deceased lover. In this case, truth certainly lives up to fiction. Eternime is an online service that uses artificial intelligence to collect your thoughts, stories and memories to create an avatar that mimics your looks and manner of conversation. As you chat with the avatar for the remainder of your life, theyre able to learn more about you and your personality. Naturally with more information, the avatar becomes more adept at mimicking you, eventually becoming your digital alter ego after death.
The internet is truly redefining the grief process. Online memorial sites provide a much more interactive experience than viewing a concrete headstone in a cemetery. Moreover, they can be accessed from anywhere in the world, connecting loved ones with the click of a mouse. And in missing people cases, memorialised social media accounts offer the bereaved an opportunity to visit a memorial.
I often find myself obsessively trawling the internet, trying to piece together every fragment of Johns online life. Finding his YouTube channel was a bittersweet moment. I never knew he could play the guitar so beautifully, though his singing left a lot to be desired. And as for his Instagram account? Who knew a simple photo of muddy feet could affect me so much? The photographs, jerky videos, Facebook messages, likes and dislikes all amounted to a precious scrapbook of memories. I cant visit Johns grave every day, but I can fondly remember him through the pixels on my computer screen.
Lets face it death is inevitable. But in cyberspace, you may live forever.
Jean Balchin is an English student at the University of Otago.
Read the original:
Immortality found in cyberspace - Otago Daily Times
- Indestructible UConn One Win Away from Immortality After Final Four Win over Alabama - Bleacher Report - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality - BusinessLine - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Immortality Is PossibleWe Just Have to Overcome One Stubborn Law of Physics - Popular Mechanics - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Naruto: Orochimaru and Madara could have achieved immortality easier if an Akatsuki member helped them - Sportskeeda - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Most The Last Airbender Fans Don't Know Only 1 Avatar Knew a Secret Immortality Technique She Learned from a ... - FandomWire - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Revolutionizing Grief: How AI is Redefining the Concept of Immortality - elblog.pl - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- IRaH - The Immortality App Movie Review: Rohit Roy Starrer Is A Thrilling Dive Into Digital Deception - Times Now - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- One Piece's Final Villains Are Officially Immortal (And The Series Already Explained Why) - Screen Rant - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- One of the great sporting gestures: How Jared helped Jasmin to Barkley Marathons immortality - Run247.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- One Piece: The Immorality Of The Gorosei, Explained - GameRant - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Dilraba Dilmurat and Chen Xing Xu Start Filming the Search for Immortality Mystery C-drama Love on the Turq... - A Koala's Playground - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Grief Tech And Digital Immortality: How Far Would You Go? - Sify - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- When Celine Dion paid emotional tribute to the Bee Gees with poignant rendition of 'Immortality' - Smooth Radio - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Nobody Wants to Die will explore immortality and transhumanism later in 2024 - TheXboxHub - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Nike Giannis Immortality 3 "White On White" DZ7533-102 - Sneaker News - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Cosmism: The philosophical movement that predicted space travel - Big Think - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Is Immortality Really All Its Cracked Up to Be in The Lord of the Rings? - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Elves Immortality Is More of a Curse Than a Blessing in The Lord of the Rings - IMDb - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Dragon Ball's Weakest Villain Killed All The Strongest Heroes (In ... - Screen Rant - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- The Recorder - Connecting the Dots: Project Immortality - The Recorder - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Opinion: Gordon Lightfoot | The immortality of a shipwreck - News Courier - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- A Classic Spider-Man Villain Almost Killed the Hulk - CBR - Comic Book Resources - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Ilkay Gundogan has evolved and can now reach Manchester City immortality - Yahoo News - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Keanu Reeves Wont Ever Die! A Conspiracy Theory Of His Immortality By Fans Brings Up An Uncanny Resemblance To A Centuries-Old King, His Graceful... - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Amrit and the terror of impermanence - The Economic Times - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- 20 Split-Second Decisions Made in Movies That Completely ... - MovieWeb - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- 10 Movies like Renfield you must watch - Ready Steady Cut - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror reviews roundup - The Guardian - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- 10 Anime with immortal protagonists, ranked by likability - Sportskeeda - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Superman's Final Fate in DC Canon is Worse Than Fans Can Imagine - Screen Rant - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Palpatine Was Never a Star Wars Jedi - And It May Explain His Power - CBR - Comic Book Resources - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- INDYCAR Championship: Full Driver Standings After GMR Grand ... - Crash - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Tale Of The Nine-Tailed 1938 Promises An Explosive 2nd Season ... - soompi - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- DARLINGTON RACEWAY NOTEBOOK: Some of Sunday's drivers ... - SCNow - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Rumours Reimagined to hit the stage in Harrison this weekend ... - Agassiz Harrison Observer - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Unity (U) Q1 2023 earnings results beat revenue expectations - Shacknews - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Who is the real villain in Hells Paradise? - Dexerto - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Mark Patinkin's mom celebrates 73rd Mother's Day as center of family - The Providence Journal - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Deadpool 3 Has A Hilarious Way To Tie Into The MCU Infinity Saga - Screen Rant - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- WATCH: Exclusive Clip from Cartoon Network's We Baby Bears ... - GLAAD - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Frightening and fascinating facets of a deathless world - The New Indian Express - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- A Timeless Tale of Immortality and the Battle between Light and Dark - Digital Journal - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- The keys to longevity are hidden in the microbes that give us beer and wine - EL PAS USA - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Ding Liren Wins 2023 FIDE World Championship In Rapid Tiebreaks - Chess.com - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Hells Paradise: The history of Shinsenkyo explained - Dexerto - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- For Succession, Everything Is IP - Paste Magazine - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Canon U.S.A. Supports 18th Annual Japan Center Essay ... - InvestorsObserver - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- What I Learned at a Funeral about the Power of Love - spokanefavs.com - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Benedict Cumberbatch Is Perfect As Lord Voldemort, See The Photo - Giant Freakin Robot - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- 2023 European Championships Here comes the sun... 4barsrest - 4barsrest.com - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- What it means to have a perfect resurrection body - The Christian Post - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- The Flash Just Unlocked Immortality as DC's Most Un-Killable Hero - Screen Rant - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Bucks County Community College names winners of High School ... - The Bucks County Herald - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- 10th Old School Kung Fu Festival: The Ghost Hill (1971) Review - Voices From The Balcony - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- The Sith Weren't The First Darkness The Jedi Unleashed On The ... - Screen Rant - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Jamie Carragher lauds Manchester City as 'superior to Man United's Treble winners' - Daily Mail - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Carol Burnett's 90th birthday special stars Cher, Bob Mackie creations - USA TODAY - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Biological Clocks Have Been 'Rewired' to Increase Lifespan by 80 Percent - Newsweek - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- One Piece chapter 1081 reveals the fate of the Heart Pirates - Dexerto - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Sweet Tooth Season 2 Episode 3 Recap - why does Becky enlist ... - Ready Steady Cut - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku and BLEACH Have This Interesting ... - GameRant - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- The Story of the Tree Has Artistic and Scientific Branches - UConn ... - University of Connecticut - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is an Inspired Tarot-Crafting Game - Hardcore Gamer - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Honkai Star Rail Officially Available On Mobile And PC; PlayStation ... - Noisy Pixel - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- ChooxTV's iconic tank Layla build will have you scratching your head - ONE Esports - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- 'Sisu' review: Nazi-killing World War II film is a gory good time - The Arizona Republic - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Biological immortality - Wikipedia - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Immortality Director Considering Using Graphics, Rather Than Actors and Sets, for His Next ... - Latest - LatestLY - January 19th, 2023 [January 19th, 2023]
- Immortality (video game) - Wikipedia - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Lionel Messi attains footballing immortality and receives royal coronation on the grandest stage of them all - VAVEL.com - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Immortality for PC Reviews - Metacritic - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Netflix Subscribers Can Download Immortality Game for iOS Devices - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Immortality review | PC Gamer - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- 'Immortality,' the latest game from 'Her Story' creator Sam Barlow ... - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Nike Giannis Immortality 2 "Floral" FD0213-400 | SneakerNews.com - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Guerrero: I once fell for the fantasy of uploading ourselves. It's a dangerous myth - Los Angeles Times - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Grand Rapids landmarks to light up Oct. 13 to raise awareness for metastatic breast cancer - MLive.com - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Make It Stop: Colbert Will Host Celebrity Pickleball Show - UPROXX - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Interview with the Vampire stars Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid on the "endurance and acceptance" of immortality (Exclusive) - Sportskeeda - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- What Was The Significance Of The Paragon "Hourglass" Symbol? Was Stanton Feeding The Dead Patients To The Ghosts? | DMT - DMT - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]