What happens to your data when you die? How should you prepare your digital assets, such as photos, email accounts, subscriptions? There are no correct answers for these questions, but we want to explore them further with you! If you are interested in discussing these topics, please read further. 

We are conducting a research study on how people think about and prepare their digital affairs for their death. At some point, every person will leave behind the material artifacts of their life: possessions, memories, and relationships that outlive them. In the digital era, many of these artifacts no longer exist in physical form. They reside in emails, cloud folders, photo libraries, and social media platforms, distributed across dozens of services and devices. Through this work, we aim to better understand current practices, identify challenges, and explore the goals people have when planning their digital legacy. The findings from this study will inform the early design of a system to support digital legacy planning in Manitoba. 

Investigators:
Dr. Celine Latulipe (celine.latulipe@umanitoba.ca)
Simon Wermie (wermies@myumanitoba.ca)

This study is the first exploratory study in a larger project that involves interviewing older adults who are planning their legacy, and ‘digital heirs’: people who have had some experience managing the digital accounts and assets of a deceased individual. The larger project will eventually seek to develop tools to support older adults in digital legacy planning and to support developers in creating post-mortem planning interfaces for digital platforms.

The results of this study may be published in academic conferences or journals focused on older adults, technology, and digital accessibility. These findings may also help inform future technologies and legal policy decisions. 

Study details: 

Participation in this study is voluntary.  Participation involves a one-hour interview with a researcher. Interviews will be conducted either in person or virtually, depending on eligibility group. The interview will follow a semi-structured, conversational format and will focus on experiences and perspectives related to digital legacy. Interview audio will be recorded. The interview will be scheduled based on the availability of the participant. 

Compensation: 

There is no cost to participate. All participants will receive $20 compensation for taking part in the interview. Participants attending in person will also be reimbursed for parking at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus. 

Eligibility criteria 

We are looking for individuals who meet all criteria in at least one of the following groups: 

Group 1: Older adults 

• Must be 55+ years old 

• Must reside in Canada 

• Must be able to communicate in English 

• Must have basic computer skills 

• Must be willing to either travel to the University of Manitoba for an in-person interview or have the necessary resources, including a computer with a microphone, to participate in a virtual interview. Online participants must be willing to turn on their cameras and show identification to verify their age. 

OR 

Group 2: Digital heirs 

• Must be 18+ years old 

• Must reside in Manitoba 

• Must be able to communicate in English 

• Must have acted as a digital heir within the past two years, by managing the digital assets of a deceased individual, such as photos, social media accounts, or email 

• Must be willing to travel to the University of Manitoba for an in-person interview. In some cases, an alternative location for the interview can be arranged, but the interview must be in person. 

There is a risk of emotional distress that may be caused when discussing death in this context. We intend to minimize this risk by ensuring that participants are aware they do not need to answer every question and we will inform participants that they can withdraw from the study if they are no longer comfortable continuing. Additionally, if any negative feelings persist, we will encourage participants to seek a mental health professional in their area. Potential resources to contact include the National Suicide Crisis Line at 9-8-8, Klinic at (204) 786-8686, the Canadian Mental Health Association at http://www.cmha.ca/get-involved/find-your-cmha/  or they can find a professional psychologist through their provincial psychological association at http://www.cpa.ca/public/whatisapsychologist/PTassociations/ . 

An indirect benefit of this study is that participants will have a chance to reflect on how death and technology interact with each other, potentially encouraging them to contemplate and plan for their own digital legacy. 

If you are interested in participating in this study, please follow the link below to the consent form. Once the consent form has been completed, a researcher will contact you to schedule an interview time. 

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time, including during the interview, without penalty.  

This research has been approved by the University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board, Fort Garry Campus. If you have any concerns or complaints about this project, you may contact any of the above-named persons or the Human Ethics Coordinator at 204-474-7122 or humanethics@umanitoba.ca. 

Research Summary

Once the research study is complete, a summary of the results will be posted here. Participants also have the opportunity to have this summary emailed to them when it is available.