“What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”
-Hellen Keller
The quote above makes me emotional; it makes me wonder whether what we have deeply loved or enjoyed actually becomes a part of us? Whether this part of us can be brought back when we desire?
Well, the topic of life and death, and whether one can maintain contact even after they are dead, is too sensitive.
But isn’t it something we all wish? A message of our dear ones who passed away?
One night I was missing my grandfather, and a thought just struck my mind, a thought that couldn’t let me sleep all night.
Our family’s future generation would never really get to meet him; they’ll never know what a great person he used to be.
It made me wonder how beautiful it would be to introduce my grandfather to our future generation digitally. That’s when I began studying about services that would help me accomplish my “unrealistic” wish.
After hours into the research, I realized it wasn’t really that “far from reality” as I expected.
“What is unimaginable can become our reality with the advent of technology!”
You would be thrilled to know that technology has reached substantial excellence levels in transforming the way we live and die.
Need to know how?
Let me give you a more in-depth insight.
Introducing the Dead in Digital
The notions of death and life are often linked to being either absent or present. But technologies such as photography, telegraph, radio, film, digital media, and television have contradicted the “pre-existing” concept revolving around being absent while being present.
We have often communicated with the dead through documentaries or videotapes and sensed her/his presence while they were absent.
Okay, this is a bit confusing and freaky, but I have a concrete and exciting example of what I am trying to say here.
You can check out the documentary- Conversation with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes if you wish to see the “talking dead.”
In the documentary, there are audio recordings of the actual notorious serial killer- Ted Bundy. You can catch him talking and partially confessing to his own crimes.
These recordings only exist because he was there to provide those details, and someone was there to record them. You can call it freezing the moment in a fleeting time.
Today, these audiotapes indicate the existence, presence, and life of those moments and their appearance in their death.
Coming back to our point, death is inevitable. Therefore, there’s no point in associating it with “something bad.” in fact, if one plans everything well in advance, s/he can sort out many things that are bound to happen in the future after they pass away.
Confused? Let’s be elaborate.
The Talking Dead
The talking dead or the digitally alive are what I call those extremely compassionate and selfless people who have availed of many mobile application development companies’ services. They provide ways to send messages or gifts to their loved ones once they pass away.
These companies provide services that are availed post mortem and are dedicated to the loved ones of the user.
The user of such services can record their videos or assign gifts and other messages to be delivered after they have passed away to their loved ones on desired dates and locations.
These messages are then received by their families and friends, where they can see their loved one talking and sharing her/his side of the story or just simply wishing their grandchild a happy birthday.
The process of creating a “lasting” digital Presence:
There are many companies that leverage technologies to help out people assure their existence for people they love.
The process and services may differ from company to company. Still, the necessary process of availing of such services is to record an abundant number of videos where the user is speaking her/his heart out, sharing their feelings, and sharing personal and intimate messages to the camera.
These videos are then sent to the companies offering post mortem services and a set of instructions guiding when, where, to whom these videos are to be sent and at what occasions.
The company uses this valuable information and then sends these videos as per the guidelines.
There are other services, as well.
Some offer to keep a user’s “social media accounts” updated from time to time.
Imagine dead tweeting! The reason is to make sure that even if a person has left for their heavenly abode, their existence on earth doesn’t go extinct.
Some other services are just next-level; they allow a person to save up memories in a digital format (though it is still a draft). These memories are then lived by their loved ones from the user’s eyes.
Okay, that is freakishly amazing!
Why is it a Great Idea?
No matter how negative the practice and services sound to you or the stigma associated with death, it is always a good idea to plan things out.
Just like we have been planning everything out since the time we gained consciousness, from steps to grab that degree, or work out on your startup idea or just get married, we have a plan for everything.
So why not, when we’re old, we plan everything out for our future generations to lead a simpler life?
Benefits of using post mortem digital services:
- Emotional well being of family and friends:
The first and foremost thing that a user can do when they avail of services from any company dealing in mobile app development services after an individual’s death is to ensure they stay close to their friends and family until eternity.
One of the crucial things that hurt when someone passes away is not maintaining communication with them anymore. However, if one’s family and friends get timely birthday wishes and arranged gifts for each of their special occasions or just some random surprise messages, chances are, they’ll be able to cope better with the loss.
And that void can be lessened.
- Better will management:
Most family feuds are due to money-related reasons.
Often when a person passes away, they define what percentage or their property and belongings should be given to whom.
Though most people write their will with a layer, some fail to accomplish that.
Thus, creating confusion within family members about the distribution of assets.
This confusion can soon turn into a gap between relatives.
However, one can ensure their passing away becomes no problem to their loved ones and use these digital services to clearly define what and in should be distributed to whom and also define the proportion of assets one should expect.
- Being Present Forever:
“Till life and eternity” always had a meaning but no possible ways actually to make the statement practical. With technological advancements, a person can promise their loved ones to always be there on every occasion.
As mentioned above, videos, audio, pictures, gifts, etc., can be sent to the selected person or the desired address by a user of these services.
So a user can plan and make a video for maybe their great great great grandchild, wishing them all the success ahead. This video will not be “just another video” for them, but something worth looking forward to.
Technology has made everything easy. It has leveraged the way we plan things out, even for the essential things. And if we plan something that “could” happen, why not plan something that “will” happen?
Who Offers These Services?
Although very few companies are so “farsighted” to offer services that people can be skeptical of using. However, some are offering a helping hand and impacting and challenging the common notion of how death is perceived.
These companies are not only making a statement but also transforming the conventional mindset with the use of technology.
Some examples:
Once I’ve Gone (OIG) provides services that offer a user to store all their important information digitally. This information is made available to “the right people, at the right time.”
These details can include information regarding important household decisions, personal or financial information that the family will need.
All this information is safely stored and made available only to the trusted contact once a user passes away.
It allows you to:
- Get organized
- Create your legacy
- Leave memories and messages for dear ones
The DeadSocial works intending to provide the best of tools and support for users who wish to bring their life to a controlled and managed end digitally.
They believe that death, grief, and remembrance have transformed in the last decade, and they wish to bring this chance to notice and provide valuable tools, support, and resources during this transition.
They offer many tools that fulfill different purposes. Apart from that, they try to create awareness regarding the topic.
Final Wish was started in 2010 by Andrew Smith, who got super sick and bedridden for almost a week. In that period, he had mere hopes of surviving. He wished to notify his family of his “last wish” but had nowhere to pen it down.
That is when both the idea of “Final Wish” and the pioneer survived and introduced this platform that ensures none of your wishes goes uninformed.
The process of availing of their services is simple:
- Assign a confidant (A trusted person)
- Create a personal slideshow
- Fill out a questionnaire
- Save your final wishes
- Create memorable photo galleries for your close ones.
Safe beyond offers an “emotional life insurance” that is digitally equipped.
The company allows you to create personalized messages for loved ones that will be delivered in the future.
These messages can be recorded for future occasions, just as birthdays, marriages, and graduations.
You can send in messages according to and for:
- Dates
- Events
- Location
- Social Media
Ever Loved is a company that allows a user to create free memorial pages. One can make and store online memories, pass on the news to friends and families, get access to funeral supplies, and even raise funds to cover up the funeral cost.
The service is availed by the close ones of the deceased. People can also donate to charities for causes the dead liked or donated for.
Another project suggested leveraging Artificial Intelligence’s power to actually upload the human brain into a computer, creating and storing memories from their perception.
These memories are called mind files.
Once uploaded, they can be accessed by the deceased’s loved ones, and they can experience the world from “literally” the user’s eyes.
However, there are no further updates on the project; I am just trying to point out that the idea is still on the table.
If any company can achieve this kind of excellence with technology, death will become easier to deal with.
Conclusion
It is high time that the belief associated with death is abandoned. If you can plan each stage of your life, why not that same approach to beyond life?
Some people have and are using these services and at least, assured that they have sorted not just their lives, but also their death for the well being of their close ones.
Upon asking some of the users, they claim that recording such videos and messages is oddly settling and positively overwhelming. They say that it made no change in their physical life. However, it brought in a lot of transformation in their emotional life- enabling them to appreciate each family member more and be assured that nothing “unplanned” will happen to them even after the user is gone.
So it is only smart to get out of the “absent and present” loop and think farsighted for the sake of your loved ones.
These services offer you not just benefits but also a chance to become entirely selfless and make choices.
