It's something that has crossed my mind a few times since I've carried out signigicant portions of my life online - What would happen if I died? Or more accurately what would happen to my online self if my physical self died?
A morbid thought and one which in the past I have tried to quite quickly dismiss as a)something I hope to be a long way off from happening b)something that a grown up would know what to do about if the worse happened.
But truth is, would anyone in my immediate circle of family and friends really think about my online self if my physical self was deceased? Perhaps it is more likely that they would now than a few years ago (for instance in 2003 when I nearly died from a freak medical condition. Which is a whole other story culminating in a magazine article illustrated with this picture).
They may think of a the mainstream areas of my online life - email (do they know how many accounts I have? How many are active?), Facebook maybe. I don't think there is much hope that they would get to the next level on the list; Twitter, Plinky et al. And no hope at all that they would clear out the back of my online cupboard; abandoned MySpace account, email addresses used for specific purposes, a hardly-ever used Messenger account and list.
And this isn't to do any of the people in my life, who would also be going through the real-world process of winding up my estate, but more something that has bothered me on occasion - there is no personal history of where I've been online and the relationships I have built in these places. I have built networks of friends who I may never meet in real life but who I would want to know if I were no longer around.
I'm not feeling particularly morbid at the moment but I was interested to read about Legacy Locker - a sort of online undertaker as the article puts it. For a fee they will store details of your accounts and passwords and will provide these to a designated caretaker in the event of your death (and they need to have a copy of your death certificate delivered to their physical office before they will hand out the details).
It's an interesting concept, and one that is surely only going to become more relevant as more people socialise and carry out business online. This company can make sure your social side is covered by allowing those around you to access services through which you have made friends and also allow them access to PayPal / eBay etc and add your virtual pennies to your estate.
I don't suppose many casual internet users will think about this. Afterall,leaving your mark in the everlasting online space gives at least the appearance of immortality.
To me, a system by which your online self's estate can be wound up with that of the physical self is just another way in which online is merging with traditional offline and becoming a very real and transactionable part of everyday life.
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Friday, 6 March 2009
Coming together
I'm surprised and pleased by how this week has gone. Especially givent he sense of dread I felt on Monday with Batter Connected 2009 out and a trip to the dentist scheduled.
But we managed to raise ourselves a little in BC09 and the dental work has been put off for another time. Black Monday turned out to be merely a pale grey.
And the sun shone through the rest of the week with the green light being given to several ideas / projects the team had been putting forward for a while.
A happy ending to the week as @Derbyshirecc was launched into the Twittersphere as our first social media endeavour. Next week move two is on the cards and even though these are baby steps they feel like they have been so long coming it's hard not to feel elated!
I'm almost allowing myself to believe that we're turning a corner and all the stuff that was holding us back last year may get resolved.
Add to that the smugness I am still feeling over a marvellous result on my ' Social Psychological Theory in Computer-Mediated Communication' piece and yes, I think this week can be chalked up as a good one.
But we managed to raise ourselves a little in BC09 and the dental work has been put off for another time. Black Monday turned out to be merely a pale grey.
And the sun shone through the rest of the week with the green light being given to several ideas / projects the team had been putting forward for a while.
A happy ending to the week as @Derbyshirecc was launched into the Twittersphere as our first social media endeavour. Next week move two is on the cards and even though these are baby steps they feel like they have been so long coming it's hard not to feel elated!
I'm almost allowing myself to believe that we're turning a corner and all the stuff that was holding us back last year may get resolved.
Add to that the smugness I am still feeling over a marvellous result on my ' Social Psychological Theory in Computer-Mediated Communication' piece and yes, I think this week can be chalked up as a good one.
Friday, 20 February 2009
This so called (online) life...
I've read a couple of articles recently about whether the amount of time we spend online is damaging to us as individuals and a society (Technology is great, but are we forgetting to live? and Online networking 'harms health'). It's something that has been crossing my mind a fair bit recently so it's with interest that I read these, and other similar, articles.
My thoughts are still pretty unorganised but my general feeling has remained pretty much unchanged throughout the years I have been an Internet user; anything in life can become unbalanced and online / offline living is no different.
I think if a person were to be carrying out all interactions online all the time, even when they could make face-to-face or other contact, then the balance has gone and damage to relationships and health are possible, even likely.
However, when used as a means of enriching existing contact / relationships etc then social media really can make a difference to the quality and quantity of communication and knowledge available. Especially in people or groups where more traditional contact might be difficult (rural communities, people with disabilities, those living abroad or far away from family and friends).
I've found I have more contact with family abroad and have made contact with more local family and friends again through social networking sites. However, if this contact remained only online I would see it as of no more 'social' value to me than having their address / phone number in a book somewhere. I might be more aware of them than the address book but there is no more social value to me. Moving from online to offline contact provides that value.
Different channels of communication or contact are more suited in different circumstances - my 90-something grandad hasn't been disowned because he isn't online (or ever likely to be) but rather a face-to-face visit or telephone call suits us both better. However, my friend in Australia (who I actually met on ICQ) is mainly communicated with via social networking sites and email and occasional postal packages of compilation cds. I keep in touch with my husband with occasional online messages but wouldn't dream of communicating with him this way if we were both at home together!
Balance, and purpose then.
For me online communication / social networks / media should be seen and used as an extra channel through which contact can be made and not a replacement for existing means.
My thoughts are still pretty unorganised but my general feeling has remained pretty much unchanged throughout the years I have been an Internet user; anything in life can become unbalanced and online / offline living is no different.
I think if a person were to be carrying out all interactions online all the time, even when they could make face-to-face or other contact, then the balance has gone and damage to relationships and health are possible, even likely.
However, when used as a means of enriching existing contact / relationships etc then social media really can make a difference to the quality and quantity of communication and knowledge available. Especially in people or groups where more traditional contact might be difficult (rural communities, people with disabilities, those living abroad or far away from family and friends).
I've found I have more contact with family abroad and have made contact with more local family and friends again through social networking sites. However, if this contact remained only online I would see it as of no more 'social' value to me than having their address / phone number in a book somewhere. I might be more aware of them than the address book but there is no more social value to me. Moving from online to offline contact provides that value.
Different channels of communication or contact are more suited in different circumstances - my 90-something grandad hasn't been disowned because he isn't online (or ever likely to be) but rather a face-to-face visit or telephone call suits us both better. However, my friend in Australia (who I actually met on ICQ) is mainly communicated with via social networking sites and email and occasional postal packages of compilation cds. I keep in touch with my husband with occasional online messages but wouldn't dream of communicating with him this way if we were both at home together!
Balance, and purpose then.
For me online communication / social networks / media should be seen and used as an extra channel through which contact can be made and not a replacement for existing means.
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