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, graduate student (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 via e-transfer or e-gift card 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.
- Must be willing to have the interview audio-recorded
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.
- Must be willing to have the interview audio-recorded
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.
Consent Forms
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.
Consent Form Link study is over and we are no longer recruiting.
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. 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
In this study, we interviewed 17 participants: 13 older adults interested in digital legacy, 2 digital heirs, and 2 who fell into both categories. These are the findings from the analysis of the interviews:
Older adults’ understandings of digital legacy varied. Most understood it as something that encompasses much or all of a person’s digital life, while others framed it as a practical responsibility that would be undertaken by digital heirs – those who manage the digital legacy of a person who has died. Some viewed digital legacy as an important way they would be remembered by loved ones and emphasized that family relationships could shape both the meaning of digital legacy and decisions about its management.
Forty percent of older adults had taken steps to plan their digital legacy, to varying degrees. Some had set up the legacy contact on platforms they used, while others-maintained documents containing account credentials for postmortem management. Most others expressed an intention to create a digital legacy plan but were often unsure where to begin or what to include.
Digital heirs’ experiences appeared to be dependent on the relationship with the deceased. Spouses encountered little friction, attributed to openness of their relationship and existing access to devices and accounts. Those managing a parent’s digital legacy faced greater difficulty accessing systems, relied on workarounds, and sometimes defaulted to deleting large amounts of data, which they later regretted.
As part of this study, we presented three design concepts, which received mixed but generally positive responses. Digital Directives and the Digital Death Directory, aimed at assisting users with planning and be informed, were each viewed positively by 15 of 17 participants. Participants indicated that these systems would be valued for their potential to provide guidance, organize a daunting task and make hard-to-find information more accessible. Conversely, Deadbots were negatively perceived by most participants. While some saw value in their interactive nature for heirs and reminiscence, others described them as “creepy” or “scary”. Some struggled to articulate the source of their discomfort, while others felt it contradicted their conceptualization of death as permanent or risked sullying the memories of the deceased.
Overall, our findings suggest that older adults are actively considering their digital legacy but often face uncertainty about how to prepare for it. The relational context of legacy planning also shaped how participants understood access, responsibility, and postmortem decision-making. Positive responses to the Digital Directive and Digital Death Directory warrant future exploration of these concepts. Broadly, we contribute findings that show that postmortem data decisions are rarely limited to deletion or preservation and remain highly individualized.
