“You live as long as the last person who remembers you.” — Banksy

We often think about legacy in terms of family heirlooms, wills, or financial plans—but in the 21st century, there’s another layer to consider: your digital legacy. From social media accounts and emails to blog posts, videos, and digital art, your online presence is part of the story you’re leaving behind. The question is: Does it reflect who you truly are?

Creating a digital legacy isn’t just about preserving memories—it’s about curating meaning. It’s a chance to define your values, share your wisdom, and leave a positive digital footprint for the people who matter most. So how do you begin building something that will inspire, comfort, or guide future generations?

1. Define What You Want to Be Remembered For

Before you start archiving or posting, pause and reflect: What are the key lessons, stories, and values you want to pass on? Your digital legacy is an extension of your character—what you believed, who you helped, how you made others feel.

Astudy from the Pew Research Center notes that while most people use social media to connect with friends and family, a growing number are also using it to share knowledge, advocacy, and inspiration. That’s where digital legacy begins: in everyday moments that matter.

Action Step: Write down five values you want to be remembered for. Then review your current digital presence. Do your online actions reflect those values? If not, how can you shift your content to match?

2. Clean Up and Curate Your Online Presence

Many of us have had social media for over a decade, and not everything we’ve posted still aligns with who we are today. Start by reviewing old posts, photos, and public profiles. Remove anything that doesn’t serve your desired legacy or reflect your current mindset.

Helpful tools:

• Jumbo Privacy helps manage and clean up old social media content
• Google Takeout lets you download and archive your digital data across platforms
• Everplans allows you to organize your digital assets and assign access to trusted individuals

3. Create Content That Matters

Rather than posting just to keep up, think about content that can live on with purpose. That might mean recording a video sharing life lessons, writing letters to future generations, or even publishing a collection of your stories, poems, or reflections.

Quote to remember: “Your story is the greatest legacy that you will leave to your friends. It’s the longest-lasting legacy you will leave to your heirs.” — Steve Saint

Action Step: Start a digital journal or blog to document your journey and insights. Platforms likeSubstack,Medium, orStoryworth can help preserve and share your voice.

4. Decide What Happens to Your Digital Accounts

Your digital legacy also includes the practical side: who manages or inherits your accounts? Many platforms now allow you to assign a legacy contact or choose what happens after you pass.

Action Step:

5. Share Wisdom With the Next Generation

Digital legacy isn’t just about you—it’s about what others will learn from you. A message recorded today could offer hope, clarity, or guidance to someone years from now. Think about what you wish you had known earlier in life—and pass it on.

Try this: Record a short video or voice memo each month with one life lesson. Store them in a digital folder or cloud storage service likeGoogle Drive orDropbox, organized by theme or age group.

6. Celebrate Milestones Digitally—and Meaningfully

Instead of simply sharing birthday or holiday posts, consider writing a letter, recording a podcast, or creating a digital scrapbook that marks important life moments. These can become treasured parts of your legacy for family, friends, or even a wider audience.

Resource to try:

• Canva for designing personal visual stories
• Notion for organizing legacy projects, journals, and digital memoirs

7. Rethink Social Media as Your Legacy Platform

Many of us use platforms like Instagram or TikTok for fun or trends—but with intention, these can become powerful tools for reflection and inspiration. Think about what people scrolling through your profile years from now would take away.

Action Step: Use your bio, pinned posts, or highlights to showcase what truly matters to you—your purpose, causes you care about, or things that bring joy.

Legacy Isn’t What You Leave Behind—It’s What You Live Forward

Your digital life is part of your real life. Every post, message, or memory you share creates a ripple that may outlast you. Rather than letting algorithms define your digital presence, take ownership. Design it with heart, with wisdom, and with future generations in mind.

So, if someone found your digital footprint decades from now—what would they learn about you? What would they feel? What could they carry forward?

Join the conversation and share how you’re shaping your own digital legacy in theforum.