The use of social media is at its peak today. Be it socializing or promotion of a brand; you can use social media platforms for your benefit in numerous ways. According to the stats, almost 20% of the entire world’s population has a profile on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. With every passing day, social media platforms are gaining a firm footing in our lives.
Social media has got everyone crazy, and it is what is causing smartphone addiction among people. If you are one of them, you know how difficult it gets to not scroll through the news feed of Facebook or Instagram. However, the growth of Instagram is way more rapid than that of Facebook. Every month, Facebook enjoys 228 million active users, while Instagram enjoys 300 million active users every month. The role of social media in our lives is hard to ignore or overlook.
Did you know that Facebook sees its 8000 members die every day? Yes, you read that right, 8000 users of Facebook die daily, which means 428 dead users every hour! If this is how things keep going, then by the year 2065, Facebook will have more profiles of dead users than active!
However, the death rate among Instagram users is lower than that of Facebook. A majority of the Instagram users belong to the age group from 24 years to 34 years old. Instagram sees 2000 users die daily, which means more than 80 Instagram users every hour!
Given the stats of the Instagram users dying every day, you might want to think about what will happen to your social media accounts when you die.
First Steps
Have you ever wondered what will happen to your Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media profile when you depart from the world? Life is unpredictable, and you can never know what life has in store for you. Therefore, thinking about what will happen to your Instagram account when you die is perfectly justified, especially if you are obsessed with your social media life.
Instagram has provided vague information about what they will do with the account once the user dies. However, like Facebook, there are two ways Instagram deals with the accounts of its dead users. They can either memorialize the account or delete it permanently. It is the choice of the deceased user’s family whether they want to turn the account of their loved one into a memorial account or want it deleted.
Memorializing the Account
Many people find comfort when they come across the Instagram account of their deceased loved one. It is a way many people cope with the loss, especially if the deceased was an active user. If you lost your loved one and want their account to be converted into a memorializing account than you can get in contact with Instagram through e-mail.
Instagram will ask you to provide the proof of death, such as a death certificate, obituary, or a news article. Moreover, you will have to provide proof that you are a family member of the deceased user. Instagram only awards the right of choosing what happens with the account to the family members of the user.
If you think a memorialized account will look different from a normal account, you do not have to worry. When you navigate to the account, it will look like just a normal Instagram account. The thing you need to know is that the account will become a frozen account. By frozen it means that the account will not undergo any changes. No changes will be made to the likes, comments, tags, or the posts once the account you choose to memorialize the account.
All followers will be able to access the posts of the memorialized account and even send direct messages. No one has access to the messages, and not even the family members can log into the account and access these messages.
Deleting the Account
The second option is removal or deletion of the account of the deceased user upon receiving a valid request of the family members. A valid request is when the family member provides proof of their relationship along with the link to the obituary, news article, or the death certificate.
Remember that when you opt for this option, Instagram deletes the account of your deceased loved one permanently, and you cannot restore it. Only choose the option when you are ready because you cannot undo the request once it has been done.
If you want your account to stay up, even after you die, you may want to include that in your will, if your Instagram is that important to you! The decision is in the hands of your immediate family members. One can simply not prepare for what is to come but taking the necessary steps can help you control things even after you depart the world, through your will.