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Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
In an increasingly digital world, the question of what happens to our online presence after we’re gone is becoming a concern for many. Perhaps you’ve recently lost a loved one and are trying to make sense of their digital legacy, or incorporate parts of this digital afterlife into their funeral. Perhaps you’re planning ahead, hoping to spare your family the pressures of navigating your various online accounts.
For some, it’s about preserving treasured memories; for others, it’s making sure that sensitive information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Whatever the reason, as technology embeds itself into every aspect of our lives, the digital afterlife raises critical questions about legacy, privacy, and how we choose to be remembered.
The term ‘digital afterlife’ refers to the online presence and digital assets that remain after a person’s death. It includes everything from social media profiles, email accounts, and stored photos to financial accounts, subscriptions, and any other online data or footprints a person creates during their lifetime. Managing a digital afterlife involves decisions about preserving, deleting, or memorialising these assets, often through services or tools designed to help loved ones navigate the virtual legacy left behind. It’s an evolving concept that blends technology, memory, and legacy in the digital age. It’s the sum of all the ways they engaged with the online world over the years, shaping how they are remembered.
As more and more people these days live their lives online, and with social media so prevalent, the concept of a digital afterlife has taken on new significance. For many, their online presence serves as a meaningful way to preserve memories, with different accounts and digital files acting as a collective archive of their life.
End-of-life planning has always been a very personal process, focusing on how to honour and remember a loved one, or choosing how you yourself want to be paid tribute to. In today’s internet-driven world, this process has expanded to include this new dimension of the digital afterlife.
Planning and legacy tools like Aura Circle can help let you decide what happens at the end of your life, then share it with the people you’re closest to. Using online platforms like these, you can share details with your loved ones, such as where important items are stored or how to access your passwords.
British funeral traditions have long centred on paying respect to a loved one’s memory with dignity and reverence, through ceremonies that bring families and communities together. Today, these cherished customs are evolving to include technological advancements like the digital afterlife, which allows families to extend tributes beyond the physical ceremony, and include information about funeral, memorial or celebration of life proceedings on social accounts.
By incorporating digital memorials, preserving online photos or messages, and managing social media profiles, technology is changing how we plan funerals, and complements traditional practices by offering new ways to celebrate and remember. For instance, while a traditional wake or service remains at the heart of British funerals, a digital tribute page or video montage can be shared worldwide, meaning distant loved ones can feel involved and connected.
This thoughtful mixing of tradition and innovation creates memories that endure in both tangible and digital spaces.
For those planning in advance for their own funeral with a prepaid funeral plan, considering your digital legacy can be just as important as arranging physical details. As you compare funeral plan options, ask questions about support in putting your digital legacy wishes into your plans. Taking steps to organise and preserve your online accounts, memories, and data creates a clear roadmap for your loved ones to respect your wishes and protect your virtual presence. Taking this action makes it clear what you’d like to happen at your funeral and beyond in regards to your digital afterlife.
If you’re reflecting on the legacy you’d like to leave in your digital afterlife, it’s natural to start thinking about other aspects of end-of-life planning. Beyond organising your digital presence, many people choose to take practical steps to ease stresses on their loved ones after they’re gone.
One step you can take is setting up a prepaid direct cremation funeral plan. These plans allow you to cover the costs and logistics of your funeral in advance, offering financial security and emotional relief to those left behind. By paying for your funeral ahead of time, you can lock in current prices, avoid future inflation, and ensure your wishes are carried out exactly as you envision them. Prepaid funeral plans can complement your digital legacy by allowing your family to focus on honouring your memory rather than navigating financial or logistical stress.
Especially considering the ways we must protect ourselves online, you might be asking yourself, “Are funeral plans safe?” To answer that question, Aura is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and our plans are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). So, you can rest assured that, when you purchase a prepaid funeral plan from Aura, your money is secure. When the time comes, the person putting your plan into action will contact our industry-leading team of Aura Angels, who will guide them through everything from paperwork to more emotional matters with a caring, empathetic presence.
Here are some practical steps you can take to prepare your digital legacy:
Create a digital inventory: Make a list of all your online accounts, including social media, email, financial platforms, cloud storage, and subscriptions. Include details such as usernames, passwords, and account recovery options. Store them as securely as possible– for example, keep your usernames and account details in a document stored on your device or in a secure cloud service. Keep passwords in a different location, such as a password manager or a separate encrypted file.This method ensures that even if one part is compromised, the other remains protected. Where possible, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for additional security. Make a note of backup codes and where they can be retrieved, storing them securely.
Use a password manager: Store your login credentials in a trusted password manager. Some password managers will allow you to share access with a designated person or people.
Create a digital will: A digital will is a document that outlines your wishes for managing your digital accounts and channels after your death. It can include instructions for handling social media accounts, email, online subscriptions, cryptocurrency, and any other digital property.
Appoint a digital executor: Choose someone trustworthy to manage your online accounts after your death. Include this role in your will, digital will, funeral plan, or legal documentation for clarity.
Back up important data: Save meaningful files such as photos, videos, and documents to an external hard drive or secure cloud storage. It’s a good idea to regularly update these backups and make sure the devices are in working order.
Set Up legacy features on accounts: Activate account-specific legacy options, such as Facebook’s Legacy Contact or Google’s Inactive Account Manager. Specify how you want these accounts to be handled after your death in your end of life documents.
Consider digital memorial options: Decide whether you want certain accounts to be memorialised or deleted. Some social media platforms allow those left behind to report that someone has died, and then choose to either delete or memorialise it. Explore platforms that offer digital tributes for preservation of online content.
Leave personal messages or instructions: Consider recording video messages, letters, or instructions for loved ones about your digital assets. Store these in a secure location or with your digital executor.
Plan for financial accounts and subscriptions: Make a list of your financial accounts, including cryptocurrency wallets. Provide instructions for cancelling subscriptions or transferring financial assets.
Digital afterlife assets include:
Digital memorials have revolutionised the grieving process. Platforms like Facebook’s legacy contacts allow families to create unique online tributes. These services often include:
For those concerned about managing or erasing their digital footprints, there are specific companies which provide solutions. These include:
In addition to these specialised data management services, the Aura Circle takes a holistic approach to end-of-life planning and preparation by offering a free membership designed to simplify the process. Through its comprehensive suite of tools and resources, the Aura Circle not only helps you manage your digital presence but also provides a space for wishes to be clearly communicated and preserved for your loved ones.
Members gain access to detailed guides on topics such as discussing direct cremation with family and understanding funeral costs, alongside practical planning tools to ensure your preferences are clear and shared with loved ones. These tools allow you to organise important details, share messages for special dates, and tell your life story, while also inviting others to contribute their favourite memories.
Considering our digital afterlife is one interesting angle of thinking about the fact that we’re not going to be around forever. It’s not exactly a topic we rush to think about, but when you’re deciding what happens to your social media accounts or figuring out who gets access to your photos and emails, you can’t help but reflect on what you’re leaving behind. It might feel a little uncomfortable, but it’s also a chance to think about how we want to be remembered and what really matters in the bigger picture.
Our own founder Paul Jameson founded Aura after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2017, a life-changing moment that brought mortality into sharp focus. As someone with an adventurous spirit, Paul wanted his own end-of-life plans to reflect the vibrant way he lived. Frustrated by the lack of personalised and celebratory funeral options, he teamed up with his son David and a close family friend Ben to create Aura.
Their vision was to inspire a societal shift—making planning for death as normal and meaningful as any other stage of life. Aura’s mission: to help families celebrate life and approach death with connection, compassion and confidence.
What we leave behind online says a lot about who we are—or at least how we want to be seen. Every post, photo, and comment becomes part of the story we’re telling, even after we’re gone. To think that our social media profiles could one day act as a window into our lives for future generations can be hard to wrap your head around. That’s why many think it’s worth being mindful about what we’re putting out there. Whether it’s sharing meaningful moments, expressing opinions, or just having fun, everything we post shapes our digital legacy. So, as you’re scrolling and uploading, it’s not a bad idea to think, “Is this how I’d want to be remembered?”
Figuring out what to do with all your digital assets, or managing someone else’s, can feel like a daunting task. With so many accounts, passwords, and online footprints to keep track of, it’s easy to feel unsure about where to even begin. From social media profiles and email accounts to cloud storage and subscription services, there’s a lot to consider. Plus, understanding what to preserve, delete, or pass on can bring up emotional and practical challenges, especially when dealing with a loved one’s digital presence. It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed, but taking small, organised steps can make the process much more manageable. That being said, there are some potential challenges to think about when it comes to navigating the digital afterlife:
People and families often face hurdles like:
Addressing the digital afterlife is becoming an essential part of modern end-of-life planning, as it affects how families grieve and find closure. When thoughtfully managed, a digital afterlife can bring great comfort to loved ones. For instance, memorial pages on social media platforms offer a shared space where family and friends can come together, post memories, share photos, and celebrate the life of someone they’ve lost. These online memorials often become lasting tributes, creating a sense of community that lasts long after a person has died.
On the flip side, leaving digital accounts or legacies unresolved can have a few potentially challenging aspects. Families may struggle with the inability to access treasured photos, videos, or messages stored online if they’re locked out of an account. This can feel like losing a part of a loved one’s story, leaving a gap that feels hard to fill. Furthermore, unresolved accounts can also cause technical frustrations, such as automated birthday reminders or ongoing subscriptions, which can serve as painful reminders for grieving families.
By taking proactive steps to manage a digital afterlife, whether through account memorialisation, archiving important content, or leaving clear instructions, you can keep their digital presence as a source of comfort rather than a possible point of stress.
Aura and your digital afterlife
The digital afterlife represents a powerful intersection of technology, memory, and ethics. As our lives become more and more intertwined with the digital world, preparing for this inevitable reality means our online presence will be managed thoughtfully.
If you’re thinking about your digital afterlife, you may be considering putting your plans into place with a prepaid funeral plan. Our compassionate team is here to guide and support you at every stage, offering the care and understanding you deserve. Our funeral plans are thoughtfully designed to bring peace of mind during what can be challenging times.
With clear, transparent pricing, your family won’t face unexpected expenses in the future. As a family-run business, we are deeply committed to treating your loved ones with the same respect, dignity, and compassion we would want for our own family.
Our brochure includes all the details you need surrounding our prepaid direct cremation funeral plans.
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