While death bed confessions were once all the rage, a new Facebook application allows users to spill their hearts from beyond the grave. Now, when people ask ‘If I die before I wake’, the real question is: ‘What will be my last status update’?
That’s right. An Israeli company specializing in ‘time capsule’ products came up with the the free 'If I Die' application for the world’s most popular social network.Upon confirmation of your passing from three user-appointed ‘trustees’, the app then posts a pre-death (one can only hope!) video or text message on your wall.The makers of the app recommend sharing a personal testimony or even a deeply held secret to be shared with hundreds of your closest friends and family members.Death has plagued facebook since its inception. It came to a head in 2009, when a new feature which suggested people with whom you might want to ‘reconnect’ had many attempting to commune with the dead.After a series of complaints, Facebook gave users the option of memorializing accounts, whereby the dearly departed would no longer be suggested as new contacts.The memorialization feature also sought to protect the deceased by ‘removing sensitive information such as contact information and status updates’ from a user’s page, Facebook announced in a 2009 blog post.However, the latest app takes the opposite approach, looking for the greatest post mortem impact possible.The app already has 5,000 'likes' on Facebook. Let’s just hope your passing isn’t nearly as popular.