Fanboys Anonymous

It is common knowledge that death is the only real certainty we have in life. For this reason, many of us decide to lessen the burden on our family members and loved ones by buying life insurance to cover the our final costs and designing a will to divide whatever assets we may have.

Pick your heir wisely.

Apparently, aside from which insurance to buy and how to draft a legal document containing information on our final wishes, many of us are also haunted by another question: What will happen to my social media accounts when I die?

Part of me really wished this was a joke, but a quick search on Google made me realize this is what many 21st-century minds worry about.

Well worry no longer, my friends.

Facebook ;has announced a new setting that will allow users to choose between the options of having their accounts permanently deleted after death or of designating "Legacy Contacts."


The Legacy Contact is a person of your own choosing, a friend or family member, who will have control over the following aspects of your profile when you die:

• Change your profile picture and cover photo.
• Write a post that will appear at the top of your timeline (for example, to announce a memorial service or share a special message).
• Accept friend requests from real-life friends and family who were not connected to you on Facebook before your passing.

According to Vanessa Callison-Burch, a Facebook product manager, these particular features "were among those most requested by Facebook users who gave the company feedback on its memorial-page policies."

On the other hand, the chosen person will not be able to:

• View or download your messages.
• Edit or delete posts you shared in the past.
• Edit or delete posts others have shared on your timeline.

So no one will be able to delete any embarrassing pictures of you, but at least they will not be able to read any kinky messages you might have sent or received.

Leave a legacy, or delete your page?

Want to know how to setup your Legacy Contact now?

Step 1: Go on "Settings" on your Facebook account and click on "Security."

Step 2: Click on "Legacy Contact" and type the name of your choice in the "Choose a friend" box. Note that this page also gives you the option to delete your account instead.

What will you say to your friend in your last message?

Step 3: Review the message your chosen Legacy Contact will receive. This message can be revised so that it is more personal between you and your friend.

Step 4: Once you are satisfied, you can either hit "Send" to have your message sent immediately or choose the "Not Now" option to have the message sent in the future.

Step 5: If you want to allow your Legacy Contact to download posts, photos, videos and/or other content from your account, check the "Data Archive Permission" box.

Done!

When your time comes, Facebook will notify your chosen contact that he or she may now manage your account.

Until now, accounts could only be memorialized by Facebook; they could still be viewed but could not be accessed or edited by anyone else. Callison-Burch believes this new feature is a great step up when it comes to social media:

Our team at Facebook is grateful and humbled to be working on these improvements. We hope this work will help people experience loss with a greater sense of possibility, comfort, and support.

Legacy Contacts are currently only available in the United States, but Facebook looks forward to expand it to other countries.

Setting up a Legacy Contact is completely optional.

What do you think about this Legacy Contact business? Do you think you will use it? Let us know your opinion by leaving your comments below!