NewsBytes
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    More
    In the news
    Narendra Modi
    Amit Shah
    Box Office Collection
    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    OTT releases
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    NewsBytes
    User Placeholder

    Hi,

    Logout

    India
    Business
    World
    Politics
    Sports
    Technology
    Entertainment
    Auto
    Lifestyle
    Inspirational
    Career
    Bengaluru
    Delhi
    Mumbai

    Download Android App

    Follow us on
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    Home / News / Technology News / By 2070, Facebook could have more dead than living users
    Next Article
    By 2070, Facebook could have more dead than living users

    By 2070, Facebook could have more dead than living users

    By Shubham Sharma
    Apr 29, 2019
    02:38 pm

    What's the story

    Over the next 50 years, the number of dead user profiles on Facebook could be more than those of the living, a new study from Oxford University has revealed.

    This, as the researchers posit, could leave a humongous chunk of data archive on Facebook, a digital legacy which should be preserved for future generations and historians.

    Here's everything they said.

    Number

    2.27 billion use Facebook, 1.4 billion to die before 2100

    Facebook currently has some 2.27 billion users, and researchers from Oxford Internet Institute (OII) predicted that some 1.4 billion would die before 2100.

    This, combined with Facebook's rate of growth, implies that the dead profiles on the service would outnumber the living by 2070.

    And, it could continue to grow up to a whopping 4.9 billion by the end of this century, Telegraph reported.

    Information

    How these predictions were made

    The researchers got these figures after assuming different scenarios on the basis of UN's data for mortalities predicted for every age group in every country as well as information from Facebook's audience insight feature.

    Need

    This will trigger the need of data preservation

    As these 'dead' profiles won't be of any use to Facebook because they won't generate ad revenues, the researchers have emphasized on the importance of preserving their data.

    They said that the data archive of these dead profiles is like a heritage of the 21st Century, which would be useful for future generations and historians.

    Quote

    Here's what study lead Carl Ohman said about these figures

    "These statistics give rise to new and difficult questions around who has the right to all this data, how should it be managed in the best interests of the families and friends of the deceased and its use by future historians to understand the past."

    Possibility

    Saving nearly 5 billion profiles won't be easy

    If the estimates calculated by the researchers are true, Facebook will have as many as 5 billion dead user profiles to deal with.

    This would be too much to be managed by a single company, which is why the team is calling the social network to partner with archivists, archaeologists, historians, and others to device a way to preserve accumulated data for future generations.

    Benefit

    How this data chunk could help future generations

    The data, if preserved, will have historical value, giving people an opportunity to learn about previous generations, more specifically their daily lives, thoughts.

    This way, not just powerful but also millions of marginalized groups would be remembered as they were.

    "Controlling this archive will, in a sense, be to control our history," study co-author David Watson noted.

    Facebook
    Whatsapp
    Twitter
    Linkedin
    Related News
    Latest
    Facebook
    Oxford University

    Latest

    IPL 2025: Sanju Samson returns to lead Rajasthan Royals Sanju Samson
    Cannes: Kevin Spacey to be honored for 'artistic brilliance' Kevin Spacey
    Google scientist says AI will replace junior engineers very soon Google
    Akshay-Priyadarshan's 'Bhooth Bangla' wraps shooting; April 2026 release confirmed Akshay Kumar

    Facebook

    This start-up is helping rural women 'knit' their future Himachal Pradesh
    Now, Facebook is working on machine capable of reading minds Mark Zuckerberg
    Here's how to check the data WhatsApp has on you India
    Pollachi sex abuse: Four-member gang harassed, videographed 50+ women Tamil Nadu

    Oxford University

    Sanjeev Sanyal appointed new Principal Economic Adviser India
    When are you the most popular? Research says 25 Finland
    And the 2017 children's 'word of the year' is… Trump! Donald Trump
    When are you the most popular? Research says 25 Finland
    Indian Premier League (IPL) Celebrity Hollywood Bollywood UEFA Champions League Tennis Football Smartphones Cryptocurrency Upcoming Movies Premier League Cricket News Latest automobiles Latest Cars Upcoming Cars Latest Bikes Upcoming Tablets
    About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive Download DevBytes Find Cricket Statistics
    Follow us on
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin
    All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2025