Since the inception of online networking it has become inevitable that when people die the information that they put on the internet will not. A virtual online graveyard has been accumulating since the beginning of social networking and is only growing larger.

Facebook is one of the most personal social networking experiences. A person’s entire life can be found on their page; email, phone number, friend list, photos, relationships, employers, and even likes and dislikes. The fact that a person’s Facebook page ultimately brings all circles of their lives together creates a large question of what to do with pages when people pass away.

In traditional fashion, Facebook addressed the issue at hand and created a solution. Facebook created the option for a deceased individual’s Facebook page to be created in to a memorial site. Since all humans mourn loss differently Facebook gives immediate family of the deceased the choice to convert the individual’s page to a memorial site or to delete their Facebook altogether.

If the family chooses to create a memorial site there is no page owner, the page cannot be searched publicly, and will only exist to people who were friends on the individual’s initial Facebook page. (Mashable) The section of memorial pages that is most utilized is the Facebook wall where friends and family can post their thoughts, feelings, and memories.

While death is an unfortunate part of life 3 million Facebook pages have already been converted to memorial pages. In a world that is driven by social media it is reassuring to see that networking sites adapt and acknowledge all aspects of life on the internet.