AS IT IS 2016-09-14 After Death, Some Choose to Continue Their Online Lives

AS IT IS 2016-09-14 After Death, Some Choose to Continue Their Online Lives

What happens to our images on social media or the internet after we die?

Evan Carroll is someone who thinks a lot about this question. Carroll co-wrote a book called, “Your Digital Afterlife.”

He says there are companies that will collect your passwords and online information. These businesses then provide all the important details to your family so they can make sure your accounts are settled after you die.

Carroll said some online businesses will put together the digital story of your life -- to keep your memory alive long after you die. Some companies will even send out messages for you to your friends and family members after your death.

There are some concerns, however. Carroll said one problem is that it is normal to put off dealing¹ with death. Many people hope and believe death is far off into the future.

Another problem is that companies sometimes go out of business. In other words, they might not be around when you die to send along your messages and passwords.

Your Post-Death Facebook Page

Facebook says it has 1.71 billion monthly users worldwide, making it the largest social media website.

Carroll said people are not happy getting messages on their Facebook Page about birthdays for friends who died.

Now, Facebook will let a friend or relative “memorialize” a Facebook friend’s page, as long as they can provide proof of the death. That can be a copy of a death notice reporting the death.

In 2015, Facebook set up another program. It lets a person choose a family member or friend who can supervise² the individual’s Facebook account after they die.

That person can write information about a memorial service, or share a special message or memory, Facebook said.

Digital Memories Created at Museum

One group working to create digital memories is the Hereafter Institute at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California.

Started a year ago, the institute offers people the chance to learn how they can plan their digital afterlife.

People who visit Hereafter learn how personal information and video images can be placed into a piece of jewelry³ as a future memorial.

The founder⁴ of the institute is Gabriel Barcia-Colombo. He used old audio, pictures and videos to create a lasting⁵ video about his grandfather.

Video lets people think about how friends and family members “moved, or reacted to jokes or how they laughed,” he said.

Watching the images of his grandfather was important to him, Barcia-Colombo said. “To be able to see him walking again…was very moving to me.”

People who visit the institute get a body scan⁶. They can then watch as an image of that body scan walks into the distance.

Carolina Miranda is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times newspaper. She recently spent time at the Institute.

She said the image works as a memorial, although it is not exactly a perfect copy.

“I don’t think it would ever be in danger of becoming something that you could almost grow attached to because it’s a replacement⁷ of that person,” Miranda said.

Barcia-Colombo said the goal of his institute is to make people think about what is possible and what they might want to do with their online memories after they die.

Words in this Story

password - n. a secret word or phrase that a person must know before being given permission to enter a place or connect to a website or email

online - adj. connected to a computer, a computer network, or the Internet?

digital - adj. using or characterized⁸ by computer technology

account - n. a record of money that has been paid and money that has been received

proof - n. something that shows something is true or correct

body scan - n. a machine that creates an image of a person's body

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 supervise   

v.监督，管理，指导

参考例句：

• We must supervise and speed up the fulfilment of assigned tasks.已经布置了的工作，应当认真督促检查。
• Tomorrow he will supervise all the pupils taking the English examination.明天全体学生考英语，他将担任监考。

3 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 scan   

n.审视，浏览，扫描，押韵，细查；vt.细看，浏览，扫描，详细调查，信件扫描（指BBS处理直递邮件或会议邮件时，对所有或特定信区做检查的动作）

参考例句：

• The first scan was bad, so I had to do it again.第一次扫描不好，所以我得重做。
• A scan determines the position of the baby in the womb.扫描可以确定胎儿在子宮中的位置。

7 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

8 characterized   

adj.[医]具有特征的v.是…的特征( characterize的过去式和过去分词 )；以…为特征；描述（人或物）的特性；使…具有特点（或最引人注目的特征）

参考例句：

• Mozart's music is characterized by its naivety and clarity. 莫扎特的音乐特色是纯朴兴清澈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The world situation is characterized by turbulence and intranquility. 世界局势动荡不安。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》