More Top Picks Ping Pong
player ready...A friend of mine recently passed away, and I experienced an eerie sensation not long after when I received a Facebook notification reminding me of her birthday. Do you think her family should pull down her account?
Facebook offers a few ways to manage this situation. Had the deceased named a so-called legacy contact prior to her death, that person would have been able to manage her account upon her passing, empowered to do things such as change her profile photo and — believe it or not — respond to new friend requests.
Even if she designated no legacy contact, with suitable documentation, a close friend or family member can petition Facebook to memorialize the account, which keeps it visible. On such pages, the word “Remembering” appears in front of the person’s name. Alternatively, a verified immediate family member can also request the account be deactivated.
Presuming your friend did not leave guidance about the disposition of her social media presence, her next of kin have a determination to make that should not be taken lightly.
Notifications such as a birthday reminder do land with a chipper glee that’s tone-deaf to the facts. For fringe friends who have been out of touch a while, there is also the troubling prospect of their posting an emoji-laden birthday wish without realizing their dearly departed acquaintance is no longer able to give it a like.
On the other hand, in much the same way we once flipped through photo albums to rekindle good times, our ability to navigate to a late friend’s silly selfies; posts of bare feet with nothing but sand and ocean beyond; and even treatises about what they had for breakfast on a random day in July 2017 help keep these loved ones with us in ways that are meaningful no matter how mundane.
Therefore, unless it is causing anyone undue grief, I would advocate for her family to memorialize her online presence. Curated though it may be, her Facebook page is a forever footprint, one it would be a shame to lose.
How do you feel about people who use the speakerphone function while out in public?
I’ll be the first to admit I have a hang-up about strangers who broadcast both sides of a phone call in the presence of helpless bystanders.
If ambient noise is making it difficult for them to carry on a conversation without activating their phone’s speaker, these wannabe talk-radio show hosts should pop in some earbuds, text rather than chat, or simply wait until the acoustics are suitable for conversations sans speaker.
Can you hear me now?
Mister Manners, Thomas P. Farley, is a nationally regarded expert who appears regularly in the media to discuss modern-day etiquette dilemmas. To be featured here, send your questions to [email protected] and follow Thomas on Facebook, Twitter, Clubhouse and Instagram. For more insights, subscribe to his podcast, “What Manners Most.”
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