We have been working on a number of campaigns over the last few months and raising awareness about the importance of digital assets and digital legacy across an array of sectors.

Photo of James Norris speaking on Jon Richardson’s Ultimate Worrier TV show (UK).

Digital Legacy News

• The Digital Legacy Conference 2018 and call for speakers was announced last week. We are delighted to be working with the social care department at Siena College for the conference and that it will take place in the USA for the first time. Over the last four years the Digital Legacy Association have campaigned tirelessly and seen positive changes in attitudes and behaviours by the general public. The Digital Legacy Conference has been a great way for best practice to be shared and attitudes around this area normalised. After presenting at the European Association of Palliative Care conference in 2017 the feedback obtained helped validate that we should expand our reach. The feedback obtained in our digital death survey also further validated that more support was globally. We appointed Dr David Buxton as our America’s lead and will work with David and Sienea College to localise our framework and resources to ensure that they are suitable to use across the Americas. If you are interested in speaking at this year’s Digital Legacy Conference please view the call for speakers section here: https://digitallegacyconference.com/call-for-papers
• We will work with Siena College’s social care department in October to localise our public and patient awareness material. Once this work has been completed it will be available for hospices, hospitals and the end of life sector in the USA to download and use (for free).
• Dr. Elaine Kasket (Bereavement Lead) has completed writing her book on digital legacy: All the Ghosts in the Machine: Illusions of Immortality in the Digital Age. We look forward to its publication with Little, Brown UK on 25 April 2019. Look out for Elaine in the media over the next few months as the book approaches publication.
• Lucy Watts MBE (Patient and Young People Lead and James Norris (Founder & European Lead) spoke together for the first time at St Giles ‘Social Media in Palliative Care‘ conference. They have also been working on a number of other projects (to be announced in due time). Lucy will also present virtually at the Digital Legacy Conference 2018.
• We have received a small grant from the RE: Imagine End of Life, New York fund. More information will be released about this soon.
• We will be raising the awareness about the importance of planning for our digital death in Lisbon, Portugal at the annual ClickSummit. We will be in Lisbon between the 8th-11th October and would like to visit hospices, end of life and palliative care professionals whilst visiting. Please get in touch if you would like to meet during this time.
• Our work and campaigning continues to influence behaviour and policy. Whether it’s the BBC or the Israeli Internet Association, funeral, social care or legal sector. If you would like us to help support what you do get in touch.
• We will be providing the keynote seminar at the National Celebrants Convention. Tickets can be purchased here.