Tweeting From Beyond The Grave: The Controversial Apps That Let Us Talk To The Dead

Forget séances, psychics and ouija boards – thanks to social networking, contacting the dead could soon become as easy as downloading an app onto your phone. Creepy or what?

The Guardian reports that a controversial new Twitter app called LivesOn will be launching next month.

Much like the recent episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, this app uses Twitter bots that are powered by algorithms. This means that the bots analyse your online behaviour and learn how you speak so they can keep on using your Twitter account as you would use it if you were still alive.

The app can favourite tweets that it thinks you would like and post links on your Twitter feed, essentially keeping you alive via your account. We think the app’s description explains it best: “When your heart stops beating, you’ll keep tweeting.”

“It divides people on a gut level, before you even get to the philosophical and ethical arguments,” said Dave Bedwood, the creative partner of the London-based ad agency that is developing the app.

“It offends some, and delights others. Imagine if people started to see it as a legitimate but small way to live on. Cryogenics costs a fortune; this is free and I’d bet it will work better than a frozen head,” he added.

Would you like to keep tweeting after you pass away?

Apparently setting up your own “digital legacy” that will survive long after you’ve kicked the bucket has become an increasingly popular thing to do, however many social networking websites state that allowing relatives to use your passwords to update your page after you death actually violates their terms of service.

Anyone who signs up for the LivesOn app is asked to nominate an executor who will have control of their account.

Another app that’s gathering a major following is DeadSocial. This is a “digital legacy tool” that allows you to set up a series of messages that are sent out posthumously on your Facebook and Twitter pages.

“It allows you to enhance your memories, extend relationships and create something of value for those who are still alive,” said James Norris, the creator of the app.

James says that himself and his team have been taking the emotional aspect of the DeadSocial app very seriously and have even been consulting with a doctor specialising in end-of-life care.

However, psychologists have said that the impact that such apps could have a negative impact on the natural bereavement process.

“What do we do if someone uses this new extension of time in a way that torments or stalks its receivers?” asks Pamela Rutledge, the director of the Media Psychology Research Centre in Massachusetts.

“Death is the ultimate lack of accountability,” she adds.