Is There a Digital Afterlife?

By Bheki Dlamini

PRETORIA, South Africa– What happens when we die? For centuries, people have tried to answer that question. Some believe in reincarnation, with the soul returning to earth until it’s finally freed and united with a greater cosmic energy. 

Others see death as a doorway to either paradise or damnation. Some think it’s simply the end, no afterlife at all. Whatever you believe, one thing is clear: technology is now part of that conversation.

The idea of a digital afterlife is still fairly new. It refers to a person maintaining an online presence even after they’ve died, sometimes by design, other times unintentionally. 

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These digital footprints can live on for years, even decades, in the form of social media profiles, photo archives, videos, emails, music playlists, and more.

In some cases, people prepare for it,  recording farewell messages, writing digital wills, or leaving instructions for how their online accounts should be handled. Others leave behind digital traces without giving it much thought. 

But just like traditional wills help ease the burden of a loved one’s death, managing one’s digital legacy is increasingly seen as just as important.

“Just like tombstones or memorial plaques, digital traces are intended to help us remember those who’ve passed,” says Professor Jaco Beyers from the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria. “Technology allows us to maintain that emotional connection.”

According to Professor Beyers, you don’t need to be religious to want to stay present in the minds of the living. It’s a deeply human impulse and technology is finding new ways to express it.

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Today, websites like DeadSocial, Eter9, Eternime, Daden, and LifeNaut are part of what’s known as the “death tech” industry. They offer ways to extend one’s digital presence beyond the grave, from auto-posting memorial messages to recreating a digital version of yourself using artificial intelligence.

“The most extreme example of this is an AI-generated avatar of the deceased,” says Prof Beyers. “It can respond with pre-recorded or pre-programmed messages, giving the illusion that the person is still alive and present.”

Of course, the desire to remain part of the world after death is nothing new. People have long left flowers at gravesites, visited places that held meaning for loved ones, or erected monuments in their memory. The digital afterlife, Professor Beyers explains, is simply a modern extension of that age-old desire, a new ritual in the age of screens.

The concept sits at the intersection of digital theology, human sciences, and the evolving world of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As technology continues to shape every corner of our lives, it’s also beginning to influence how we think about death, loss, and remembrance.

“From a theological perspective, the digital afterlife reflects our fear of death and our attempt to hold onto control,” he says. “It shows how deeply we’re tied to the physical and sensory world. In some ways, it’s an illusion of control. But it also highlights the very real need for new ways to process grief and honour memory.”

In the end, whether we believe in a spiritual afterlife or not, the digital one is already here and growing.