JOIN USSocial networking giant Facebook has unveiled its latest feature – on the event of your death, you can nominate someone to take control of your profile. Termed as the ‘Legacy Contact’, it will allow someone close to you take partial control of your account so that it doesn’t float about aimlessly.
While it is yet to be launched in India, the idea is already catching on. The so-called ‘legacy contact’ won’t be allowed to view your private messages or alter the already existing content, but they will be able to permanently delete your account for you. They will also have other liberties like being able to updated the profile picture, respond to friend requests, write posts and download an archive of posts, photos and profile information.
It was in 2009 that Facebook introduced the option to ‘memorialise’ an account of a deceased person. With this option, the account would not appear in the suggestions box and only friends who have already been confirmed could see and post on the profile. Once an account is memorialised, it prevents anyone from logging into it while still enabling friends and family to post on the wall.
With the ‘Legacy Contact’ option, however, an online will is being written. According to Sachin Singh, an engineer, this is a good move. “I have lost two friends and both times it took a few days for me to get to know about it. If there was something or someone like a ‘legacy contact’, then it would be easier to inform people about a death.”
Some do not think they will be using it, even if it’s a good idea. Nihas, an engineer, says, “It has its pros and cons. But for me, personally, it is of no use because my friends would get to know of my death through other ways.
Maybe it’s useful for someone who regularly uses Facebook.” Shruthi adds that it depends on a person’s preference. “If someone wants their profiles to be remembered in that way, it’s up to them. I would probably ask a friend to prank everyone before deleting the account.”
There are others who think this trivialises the life of a person. Says Tushar, a banker, “This trivialises the life of a person and makes a mockery out of it. Once I die, there’s nothing I can do about my Facebook profile so this isn’t a choice people have.
A friend of mine passed away a while back and even after six months, people were posting birthday wishes on his wall. Our online lives acts our alter ego and wishing a person on their birthday is like filling out an Excel sheet. That’s what personal relationships have become these days... matters of life and death are treated with crassness.”