Digital Legacy: Managing Your Online Presence for After Life
Our lives now exist in both physical and digital spaces—yet our end-of-life planning often stops at the tangible world. Think about all the places you exist online: social media profiles that hold years of memories, email accounts containing important correspondence, digital photos, financial accounts, subscription services, and perhaps even cryptocurrency or digital businesses.
If someone needed to manage your digital life tomorrow, would they know where to start? Would they have legal access to what they need? Would they understand what matters to you?
Why Digital Legacy Planning Matters
Without clear instructions, your loved ones might face unnecessary stress trying to:
Access important accounts during an already difficult time
Preserve precious memories and photos stored in the cloud
Prevent identity theft or account misuse after death
Honor your wishes regarding your online presence
Close accounts that continue to generate bills
Creating Your Digital Legacy Plan
Take a Digital Inventory
Start by cataloging your digital footprint. Include:
Email accounts
Social media profiles
Financial accounts and subscription services
Cloud storage with photos, videos, or documents
Websites, blogs, or online businesses
Digital collections (music, movies, books)
Loyalty programs with valuable points (like airline miles)
Decide What Happens to Each Asset
For each digital asset, consider what you'd want:
To be preserved and passed to specific people
Memorialized (like Facebook's memorial option)
Deleted or closed entirely
Managed in a specific way (like someone posting a final message)
Choose a Digital Executor
This might be the same person handling your overall estate, or it might be someone more tech-savvy. Either way, choose someone you trust to handle sensitive information and follow your wishes.
Create Access Instructions
Document usernames and access methods securely. Consider using a password manager and providing your digital executor with instructions for accessing it. Some services now offer legacy features specifically designed for account transitions after death.
Beyond the Practical: Your Digital Legacy
Digital legacy planning isn't just about administration—it's about intentionally shaping how your digital self lives on. Consider creating messages to be shared after your death, organizing important photos with captions explaining their significance, or recording stories about meaningful life events.
These digital artifacts can become precious connections for those you leave behind, allowing your voice and perspective to remain accessible even after you're gone.
Need help creating your digital legacy plan? As an end-of-life & legacy planner with experience in digital asset management, I can guide you through organizing and documenting your online presence in ways that protect your privacy while providing clarity for your loved ones. Contact me to get started.