As with physical memorials, digital memorials may receive less visitors as time passes. People stop actively contributing to the sites or updating them. Digital files are sensitive to change, so may be corrupted and no longer function. Some sites, such as Monuments.com offer the option to backup a memorial to a CD, but as many of us know, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find machines that are compatible with this technology. The trend of adding QR codes to gravestones is troubling for this same reason. Digital memorials also disappear because they are hosted on platforms that go out of business or whose hosting subscription has lapsed.

Though apparently not as common as wholly online memorial websites, the practice of augmenting a physical headstone within a cemetery with additional digital modes of engagement has had some popularity in the recent past. Companies such as Quiring Monuments affix QR codes or RFID tags to the headstones, allowing visitors to access memorial materials online through applications on smartphones. While the online components may be accessible as a memorial website that resembles the previous type of memorial described in this paper, we consider this type of memorial to be a distinct type, as it is designed to engage a user from a specific geographic point.