Facebook and Death

After a person dies, his or her Facebook page remains open until someone closes it.  But without their password it’s very difficult to get it closed.

Some widows want to keep their husbands Facebook page open so that people can write on it.  They also like to go back and see past comments that their husbands had posted.

“Some people like it, because it’s a way for them to memorialize their person who has died, and they can look on it and it makes them feel like they haven’t been forgotten. I think they’re changing the way that we grieve through the use of Facebook, “says Sanderson, a Grief Center Coordinator for the Northern Illinois Hospice and Grief Center.

The other side is that widows are feeling lonely and using Facebook too much can actually increase their loneliness.  It’s healthy to be with other people and not always be by yourself.

Another thought is that Facebook page may be setup to send automatic messages, like birthday well wishes and it can freak people out to get a Facebook message from their dead friend or family member.

This is a decision that could go either way but just in case you ever want to close out your spouse’s social media accounts you should be aware that you will need their passwords to do so.