evada Center conducted this survey at the request of the film company BAZELEVS between 19 and 22 June 2015 throughout all of Russia in both urban and rural settings. The survey was carried out among 800 people over the age of 18. The statistical error of these studies does not exceed 4.1%.  The goal of this research was to understand Russians’ attitudes toward the profile pages of users of social sites after they have died. 

DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES?

FOR WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA SITES DO YOU HAVE AN ACCOUNT? (in % of respondents who have social media accounts)

This survey confirmed the significance of the problem of “dead accounts.” Even in the short time that social sites have been around, one-third of users (32%) have lost friends and loved ones. These people still appear on the friend lists of survey respondents, and survey respondents still receive notifications about their birthdays and posts to their pages (from others posting content on a dead account). The problem is that the posted content can deface the memory of the departed and it cannot be deleted.

DO YOU HAVE ANY “FRIENDS” ON SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS WHO ARE NO LONGER ALIVE? (in % of respondents who have social media accounts)

The primary objective of this research was to determine Russians’ opinions on what to do with these “dead accounts.”’ 41% of respondents advocated for deleting the accounts without the option to restore them. As of now, the main social sites operating in Russia have a procedure to delete the social media pages of the dead upon receiving a request from their family members.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SITES TO HANDLE THE ACCOUNTS OF DEAD PEOPLE? (in % of respondents who have social media accounts)

30% of Russians are in favor of preserving the account in “memorial status,” which is currently only possible on Facebook. The page denotes that the owner has passed away, the account is not visible to those who are not already friends with the user, birthday reminders are not posted, and the account is completely blocked. The number of people who are in favor of preserving accounts in “memorial status” is higher amongst those who have lost friends and reaches 60% of respondents. To them, it is more important to preserve the memory of their friends.

DO YOU THINK THAT THE OPTION OF PRESERVING AN ACCOUNT IN “MEMORIAL STATUS” FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, SINCE FACEBOOK OFFERS THIS OPTION? (in % of respondents who have social media accounts)

The option to transfer the rights for an account to an heir or trustee whom the user named while alive was supported by 24% of respondents who are registered on social sites.

Timur Bekmambetov, head of the film company BASELEVS and producer of the film “Unfriended”:

“It didn’t seem to be an accident to me that the majority of respondents favored deleting the accounts of the dead. It doesn’t mean they want to forget about those people, but rather suggests that there is some mystic fear at play – the same fear that causes people to avoid cemeteries. These social sites will naturally and gradually turn into some sort of virtual cemeteries, and already the number of ‘dead accounts’ is in the millions. It’s time to think about this problem. In my opinion, there is only one logical answer – to give users the choice of what to do with their account when they die while they are still alive. Not a single Russian social media site currently offers this option – just Facebook. For that reason, we are encouraging these sites to develop and implement an appropriate mechanism. Social sites are public forums, and people should have the opportunity to preserve their memories in this public space.”

Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly  Monterey Institute of International Studies).