Death on the internet

DEATH ON THE INTERNET

Every day, people put their feelings, passwords, money, and more on the internet, giving life to a digital self. In Death on the Internet, the Daily Dot explores how this digital self can live on in the internet’s memory—even after the actual self has abandoned it. In these stories, fans mourn influencers who have abandoned their platforms, teens host virtual funerals on Roblox, and lawyers try to tap into cryptocurrency treasure chests left behind after the owner’s physical death.

Is your kid attending funerals on Roblox?

Young people are practicing for real life with role-plays on Roblox.

By Sabine Joseph

How a cryptocurrency fortune crippled a deceased billionaire’s estate

What happens when all a corpse’s money is in his cold wallet?

By Grace Ferguson

The real-life stakes of faking your death online

Why a TikToker faked her death on Fanfiction.net 11 years ago.

By Liza Bautista

Produced by Kris Seavers / Designed by Jason Reed / Illustrated by Max Fleishman

The Daily Dot