Are the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death online
We project the future accumulation of profiles belonging to deceased Facebook users. Our analysis suggests that a minimum of 1.4 billion users will pass away before 2100 if Facebook ceases to attract new users as of 2018. If the network continues expanding at current rates, however, this number will...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publications
2019
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| _version_ | 1797078312254701568 |
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| author | Öhman, C Watson, D |
| author_facet | Öhman, C Watson, D |
| author_sort | Öhman, C |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | We project the future accumulation of profiles belonging to deceased Facebook users. Our analysis suggests that a minimum of 1.4 billion users will pass away before 2100 if Facebook ceases to attract new users as of 2018. If the network continues expanding at current rates, however, this number will exceed 4.9 billion. In both cases, a majority of the profiles will belong to non-Western users. In discussing our findings, we draw on the emerging scholarship on digital preservation and stress the challenges arising from curating the profiles of the deceased. We argue that an exclusively commercial approach to data preservation poses important ethical and political risks that demand urgent consideration. We call for a scalable, sustainable, and dignified curation model that incorporates the interests of multiple stakeholders. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:30:16Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:7f8a03cd-ed2e-4bac-95e3-fa6dd85e79b2 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:30:16Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | SAGE Publications |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:7f8a03cd-ed2e-4bac-95e3-fa6dd85e79b22022-03-26T21:17:34ZAre the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death onlineJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:7f8a03cd-ed2e-4bac-95e3-fa6dd85e79b2EnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordSAGE Publications2019Öhman, CWatson, DWe project the future accumulation of profiles belonging to deceased Facebook users. Our analysis suggests that a minimum of 1.4 billion users will pass away before 2100 if Facebook ceases to attract new users as of 2018. If the network continues expanding at current rates, however, this number will exceed 4.9 billion. In both cases, a majority of the profiles will belong to non-Western users. In discussing our findings, we draw on the emerging scholarship on digital preservation and stress the challenges arising from curating the profiles of the deceased. We argue that an exclusively commercial approach to data preservation poses important ethical and political risks that demand urgent consideration. We call for a scalable, sustainable, and dignified curation model that incorporates the interests of multiple stakeholders. |
| spellingShingle | Öhman, C Watson, D Are the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death online |
| title | Are the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death online |
| title_full | Are the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death online |
| title_fullStr | Are the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death online |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death online |
| title_short | Are the dead taking over Facebook? A Big Data approach to the future of death online |
| title_sort | are the dead taking over facebook a big data approach to the future of death online |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ohmanc arethedeadtakingoverfacebookabigdataapproachtothefutureofdeathonline AT watsond arethedeadtakingoverfacebookabigdataapproachtothefutureofdeathonline |