Many of us use a social network every day.

Creating and sharing content via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and myriad other sites is woven into the fabric of our lives. But what happens to the content you create when you die?

If you love to share photos of your children or grandchildren, upload videos of holiday celebrations, or share reflections on family vacations, you should consider creating a statement about how you’d like your estate to handle your online identity after you die.

Maybe you want that content to live on after your death.

A friend of mine passed away far too soon, but his family chose to keep his Facebook page active. However, they went through the page and edited what could be seen after his death — i.e., no pictures of the deceased in a less-than-flattering light.

Nearly eight years after his death, his family and friends still post memories and reflections, comment on old photos and remember the terrific person he was. It has served as a cathartic community for so many people who lost the same loved one.

However, it is understandable if you want your accounts deactivated.

In that case, USA.gov has a helpful template that covers information that you should be sure to provide to loved ones.

This includes the names of your social media accounts, their passwords and answers to security questions, as well as if you want the pages deactivated or used as memorials. To find the template, visit USA.gov and search for “social media will.”

On Facebook, for example, family members or friends are able to request that profiles become memorial pages.

The deceased’s profile will include the word “remembering” next to the person’s name. And depending on the privacy settings of the account, friends can share memories on the memorialized page, and content the person shared stays on Facebook and is visible to the audience it was shared with.

Also, memorialized profiles won’t appear as suggestions for people other users might know, in ads or as birthday reminders. 

You also should appoint a trusted family member or friend as an online executor, and be sure to review and understand the privacy policies and the terms of use on each social network you use. These polices should include whether your executor needs a copy of your death certificate as proof for those sites to take any action on your behalf.

Brittany Wilson is the Diocese of Trenton’s social media coordinator; she can be reached at [email protected]. This column is not intended as legal advice. Should you need any legal advice regarding your will, please speak to an attorney who is skilled in the area and jurisdiction you require.