VOA慢速英语20116 撒手人寰后 社交账号该怎么办?（在线收听）

After Death, Some Choose to Continue Their Online Lives 撒手人寰后 社交账号该怎么办?

What happens to our images on social media or the internet after we die?

Evan Carroll is someone who thinks a lot about this question. Carroll co-wrote a book called, "Your Digital Afterlife."

He says there are companies that will collect your passwords and online information. These businesses then provide all the important details to your family so they can make sure your accounts are settled after you die.

Carroll said some online businesses will put together the digital story of your life -- to keep your memory alive long after you die. Some companies will even send out messages for you to your friends and family members after your death.

There are some concerns, however. Carroll said one problem is that it is normal to put off dealing with death. Many people hope and believe death is far off into the future.

Another problem is that companies sometimes go out of business. In other words, they might not be around when you die to send along your messages and passwords.

Your Post-Death Facebook Page

Facebook says it has 1.71 billion monthly users worldwide, making it the largest social media website.

Carroll said people are not happy getting messages on their Facebook Page about birthdays for friends who died.

Now, Facebook will let a friend or relative "memorialize" a Facebook friend's page, as long as they can provide proof of the death. That can be a copy of a death notice.

In 2015, Facebook set up another program. It lets a person choose a family member or friend who can supervise the individual's Facebook account after they die.

That person can write information about a memorial service, or share a special message or memory, Facebook said.

Digital Memories Created at Museum

One group working to create digital memories is the Hereafter Institute at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California.

Started a year ago, the institute offers people the chance to learn how they can plan their digital afterlife.

People who visit Hereafter learn how personal information and video images can be placed into a piece of jewelry as a future memorial.

The founder of the institute is Gabriel Barcia-Colombo. He used old audio, pictures and videos to create a lasting video about his grandfather.

Video lets people think about how friends and family members "moved, or reacted to jokes or how they laughed," he said.

Watching the images of his grandfather was important to him, Barcia-Colombo said. "To be able to see him walking again...was very moving to me."

People who visit the institute get a body scan. They can then watch as an image of that body scan walks into the distance.

Carolina Miranda is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times newspaper. She recently spent time at the Institute.

She said the image works as a memorial, although it is not exactly a perfect copy.

"I don't think it would ever be in danger of becoming something that you could almost grow attached to because it's a replacement of that person," Miranda said.

Barcia-Colombo said the goal of his institute is to make people think about what is possible and what they might want to do with their online memories after they die.

人们离世后，个人在社交网站或互联网上的账户会发生什么变化？

对于这个问题，埃文·卡罗尔（Evan Carroll）对想了很多。卡罗尔与别人合作写了一本书，名为《你的数字身后事》。

他说，有的网络公司会收集用户密码和网上信息，之后再将所有重要信息转发给你的家人，以确保离世用户的账户有人管理。

卡罗尔表示，一些网络公司将你的网络遗产整理好，让你的记忆永存。甚至有的公司会在你死后，替你向家人、朋友发送信息。

当然，也有人对此表示担心。卡罗尔表示，原因之一就是人们通常很忌讳死亡这一话题。很多人希望并相信死亡遥不可及。

另一个原因是，这些公司可能会关门大吉。换句话说，当人们离世后发送信息和密码时，公司早已物是人非了。

离世后的Facebook主页

Facebook在全球拥有17.1亿名月度用户，一跃成为全球最大的社交媒体网站。

卡罗尔称，人们不愿在自己的Facebook主页上看到已过世朋友的生日信息。

而现在，只要已故用户的亲戚或朋友能提供死亡证明，那么Facebook允许其将该用户的Facebook主页设为“受纪念”状态。这将成为新一份死亡通知。

2015年，Facebook新推出一个程序。允许用户选择一位家人或朋友在其离世后管理自己的Facebook账户。

Facebook表示，接受委托的用户可撰写追悼词，或与他人分享特殊的信息或记忆。

博物馆创建的数字化记忆

加州洛杉矶艺术博物馆身后事研究所致力于创建数字化记忆。

一年前，该研究所开始为人们提供规划自己数字化身后事的学习机会。

参观身后事研究所的人们了解到，个人信息和视频影像如何被放入一块宝石中作为今后的纪念。

该研究所的创始人是加布里埃尔·巴尔西亚-科伦坡（Gabriel Barcia-Colombo）。他用老旧的音频、图片和视频为祖父制作了一则纪念视频。

他解释称，视频会让人回忆起朋友和家人对笑话的反应或笑容。

巴尔西亚-科伦坡表示，对他而言，看到祖父的影像非常重要。“看到他再次走来走去，让我不禁潸然。”

参观研究所的人们会进行一次全身扫描。然后，他们可以看着自己扫描后的影像走向远方。

卡罗来纳·米兰达（Carolina Miranda）是《洛杉矶时报》的特约作家。最近，她抽时间参观了该研究所。

她说，虽然该图像并非一件完美的复制品，但却是一种永久纪念。

米兰达表示，“我认为它不会逐渐变成你所依赖的东西，因为它只是逝者的替代品。”

巴尔西亚-科伦坡表示，该研究所的目标就是让人们思考撒手人寰后，什么事情是可能的，以及如何处理自己的网络遗产。