4.9 billion deceased user accounts
https://hackernoon.com/the-digital-graveyards-phenomenon
A 2019 study from the University of Oxford Internet Institute estimates that by the turn of the century, Facebook, now known as Meta, will have more than 4.9 billion deceased user accounts. The paper's researchers suggest that in the coming 50 years, the dead will outnumber the living on Facebook if the platform continues growing at the pace it did in 2018.
The authors highlight how “The personal digital heritage left by the online dead are, or will at least become, part of our shared cultural heritage.”
The digital cemetery we are creating will prove invaluable for future historians uncovering the nature of our past and for the next generation; this will become a record of self-understanding of historical events, people, and cultures.
However, accommodating the shift of social media platforms will require proper planning regarding legislation, education, and advocacy for accounts belonging to deceased individuals.
