‘Dem still dey write happy birthday for im wall’: Wetin dey happun to our social media accounts afta we kpai

“Some pipo neva hear say Matthew don die, dem go still see im birthday, write happy birthday for im wall. E no feel good at all.”

Hayley Smith husband, Matthew, bin die of cancer ova two years ago at di age of 33. She still dey struggle wit wetin to do wit im social media accounts.

Di charity worker wey dey live for di UK say, “I don try turn Matthew Facebook account to memorial page and e go ask you to upload im death certificate.”

“I don do am almost 20 times and notin dey happun. I no kuku get di strength contact Facebook to fix am.”

As billions of pipo for world dey use social media wetin go happun to pesin online presence afta dem die, don turn ogbonge topic.

Accounts go dey live till family member tell di social media app say di pesin don kpeme.

Some social media dey give di option to shut down di pesin profile afta family member break di news, while oda platforms get oda options.

For example Meta, di company we get Instagram and Facebook, afta dem get death certificate get option to “memorialise” di account.

E mean say di account go dey frozen in time and turn page wey pipo go fit drop pictures and memories inside.

Di way di page go look be say, dem go write “in memorial” beside di pesin name. If di original user no put “legal contact”, wey be pesin wey get right to manage di content, no one go fit log enta di account.

For Facebook, dis kain accounts no dey recommended to pipo as “Pipo You FIt Know” and dem no dey remind id pipo for di friend list about dia birthday.

Google wey get YouTube, Gmail and Google Photos dey give option to change dia “inactive account” settings to decide wetin go do dia account if dem no use am for sometime.

X, wey dem bin call Twitter, no get any option to save profile in di memory of dead pesin and na only to deactivate di account in case of death pesin fit use.

Joe Tidy, BBC World Service technology tori pesin say “plenti approaches dey but all di companies dey put di privacy of di dead pesin as number 1.

“No login details go dey shared, and you go only fit get some kain data like pictures and videos with specific requests, sometimes you go even need court order.”

E add say newer platforms like TikTok and Snapchat no get any arrangement if dia user die.

Active profiles of dead pipo fit cause wahala if data, pictures or oda content enta wrong hands. Na wetin Sasa Zivanovic wey be sabi pesin on cyber crime and former oga of di department for high-tech crime for Serbia interior ministry warn.

Dem fit do am by downloading some of di profile data but also dem fit take control of di whole account.

E say, “dem fit use pictures, data and videos make fake accounts under anoda pesin name, wey dem fit use collect money from friends wey neva hear of di pesin death.”

James Norris wey be di founder of di UK Digital Legacy Association, tok say e dey important make pipo dey reason di kain tins dem dey put for social media and make backup if possible.

E say for Facebook, pesin fit download dia full archive of pictures and videos and pass am give your next of kin.

E believe say e dey important to plan wetin go do your social media accounts afta you die and tell pipo make dem do ‘Digital and Social Media Will’ for dia digital estate.

E say. “las-las social networking na business. Dis platforms no be di guardian of your digital legacy, na you.”

But e still tink say social media platforms gatz make di process to dey more simple for relatives.

“Digital legacy na big topic,” warns Sarah Stanley, wey be research nurse with Marie Curie, a UK-based charity wey dey give care and support to pipo get terminal illness and dia loved ones.

She draw ear say pipo gatz reason not just about dia social media accounts but everitin wey dem get digitally and wetin dem wan take am do wen dem kpai.

“Digital photographs and videos fit get plenti memories. We dey do plenti of online financial management now as in banking,” na wetin she tok.

“Den music accounts dey wia dem dey create playlists, and di amount of use of online gaming don rise wia pipo dey put time and effort to create dia online avatars to dey.

“So, I tink e make sense to say digital legacy no be just about social media.”

She gree say e dey important to start to reason wetin we own digitally and wetin we want make e do am.

“We want make pesin take ova our social media accounts? We want pesin to memorialise dem? We wan to fit pass am as album of digital pictures give our pikin? Or we wan print am put like pipo bin dey do, for pipo afta we kpai? Digital legacy na sometin wey we need reason and tok about.”

But for Hayley and Matthew, no be easy tin to tok.

“I no really follow Matt tok about dis wen e bin dey bed, because e bin no wan tok about dying,” she tok.

“He bin wan live for as long as e fit, but den e seriously sick, e no dey imself and no fit ansa my questions.”

Na just afta one year of marriage dem find out say Matthew get stage 4 glioblastoma for July 2016 at di age of 28.

Matthew bin get brain tumour and need surgery immediately.

Although di surgery and chemotherapy go well, di tumour grow well and dem tell dem say, e get one year to live.

Hayley say im name bin dey everytin she get even di bills so she bin need to transfer evertin and e take her 18 months to do all di digital admin.

Hayley say she still wan memorialize Matthew Facebook page but no be wetin she wan deal with now.

“I tink say edey very painful to dey look everyday at death certificate. Na why I dey dodge to do am cos na horrible piece of paper.”

She add say, “I just tink na over sabi process and make companies make am easier for pipo wey dey mourn.”