More Facebook users will be dead than alive by 2065 if the social network keeps slowing growth.
According to reports from 2016, around 8000 Facebook users die daily, the equivalent of 428 every hour.
So, what becomes of these people's online profiles?
A person's online identity has become part of the fabric of life in the 21st Century, and a social media account can hold treasured memories such as photos, videos and messages.
So what happens to our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts when we die?
Twitter.
If a Twitter user dies, the company says it will work with a person authorised to act on the behalf of the estate — or a verified immediate family member — to have an account deactivated.
It is also possible to request the removal of a deceased user’s account, but they will require a copy of ID from the person making the request and a copy of the death certificate.
However, Twitter clearly states that it will not give access to a deceased user’s account regardless of his or hers relationship to the family member or friend requesting authorisation.
Facebook.
When it comes to Facebook, the social networking site added a new setting last year that gives users the option of having their account permanently deleted when they die.
Otherwise users can choose a friend or family member to become a “legacy contact” and take control of some aspects of their account after their death.
However, Facebook requires proof of death before this can be activated.
Legacy contacts can post a final message on the profile before it is turned into a memorial where friends can post messages of remembrance and sympathy.
Unsuitable content can be moderated by the legacy contact.
To choose a legacy contact, users have to access settings and under the Security tab, and choose the “Legacy Contact” option that appears at the bottom.
Instagram.
Like Facebook, Instagram memorialises accounts, but they can’t be changed and no one can log into the profile.
Posts of the deceased user will stay shared on the site and are visible to the people they were shared with, but memorialised accounts do not appear in public spaces like searches.
Instagram asks that friends and relatives get in touch via email to notify them that a user has died. The picture-sharing app asks for proof of death.
Pinterest will not hand over log in details for a dead user, but it will deactivate their account if you send an email with a list of required information, including proof of the user’s death.
You must provide a copy of the user’s death certificate, an obituary or a link to a news article as proof for Pinterest to deactivate the deceased user’s account.
