Social media platforms have been addressing what happens to people's digital lives when they pass away for the last few years and the Facebook A Look Back feature is a particularly touching one. It allows people to compile a montage of moments as users of the social network so friends and family can 'look back' at all the fond memories. Since people tend to share the best moments, it will be a happy walk down memory lane.
Chris Price and Alex DiSclafani, from the Facebook Community Operations team, explain that the Facebook A Look Back feature "will allow people to see memorialized profiles in a manner consistent with the deceased person’s expectations of privacy. We are respecting the choices a person made in life while giving their extended community of family and friends ongoing visibility to the same content they could always see."
Social Network Reminiscing Videos
The Facebook A Look Back Feature is a Memorial for Dead Users
Trend Themes
1. Digital Memorialization - There is a growing demand for digital memorialization as people seek ways to remember their loved ones who have passed away through social networks and other online platforms.
2. Personalized Content - Social media platforms can capitalize on personalized content by offering features like Facebook A Look Back that compile a montage of users’ memories, making them easier to revisit in the future.
3. Death-positive Culture - As people become more open to discussing and preparing for death, there is an opportunity for industries focused on end-of-life planning to offer innovative solutions for digital legacy preservation.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media - Social media platforms can enhance their users’ experiences by introducing more features and tools for memorializing deceased loved ones, while also providing a space for people to grieve and honor their memory.
2. Funeral Planning - The funeral industry can offer innovative solutions for digital memorialization, such as online memorials and creative digital obituaries, to help bereaved families and friends pay tribute to their loved ones.
3. Tech Services - Tech services can take advantage of the trend towards digital memorialization by offering innovative solutions for managing and preserving digital legacies, such as digital life after death planners and secure posthumous messaging and content sharing platforms.