digital afterlife | 2 directions

After settling on the digital afterlife as a research topic, I have been wandering off in two opposing directions...

1. Is the digital afterlife a place for people to rest their "digital life" as an eternal virtual tomb?
2. Is the digital afterlife the next step in the evolution of how we commemorate the dead?

I suppose there is a "place" versus "concept" debate which I am yet to have. 

Currently the economical value of the digital afterlife is gaining momentum. Companies such as If I Die, itomb and the digital beyond are claiming their plots in the virtual cemetery, while charity organisations such as buy life are using the "digital death" of celebrity to raise awareness and funds for HIV awareness and research. Watch the video here.