If you spend the majority of your free time on social media rather than using it as a primary or secondary professional tool, it may be time to consider reducing your social media presence. The most effective way to do this is by deleting social media accounts that don’t bring you any value. If you’re considering taking this step, this guide can help ensure that you proceed correctly and avoid regretting it later!
Make Your Decision
Before deleting your account, make sure this is the right decision for you. Reflect on why you want to delete your account, considering both the pros and cons of this account and the platform. Consider creating a simple list where you spend 5 minutes jotting down all the positive and negative aspects. If nothing comes to mind immediately, you can use the following points as a guide:
| Advantages of social media | Disadvantages of social media |
|---|---|
| Makes it easier to connect with people across distances. | Excessive use affects personal interactions and relationships. |
| Enables quick sharing of messages. | Publishing personal information carries privacy risks. |
| Enables professional contacts to be maintained. | Social media is a target for bullying and harassment. |
| Provides entertaining content (e.g. cat videos 🙂 ). | False information spreads quickly and can cause unrest. |
| Allows you to stay informed about current events and trends. | Comparisons with others, FOMO and filter bubbles lead to stress and depression. |
| Promotes creative expression. | Social media disrupts concentration and impairs productivity. |
| Provides a platform for sharing issues and problems. | The pressure to present a perfect life has a negative impact on self-esteem. |
| Provides a platform for continuous training. | Constant availability leads to dependency and separation difficulties. |
| Provides a platform for political activism. | Manipulative actors spread disinformation via social media. |
It’s best to write down the pros and cons somewhere to gain clarity about your decision and avoid acting hastily. This short analysis also helps prevent you from reconsidering your decision because the process takes some time and effort. By documenting your decision in writing, you can better motivate yourself to take action.
Prepare the Migration of Your Contacts and Files
If you’ve decided to delete your account, make sure to properly migrate your contacts and files beforehand. This may involve transferring them to another platform or saving them locally on your device. Additionally, it’s helpful to delete the files (usually photos or videos) separately after migration while your account is still active to ensure they’re truly removed from the platform’s servers. However, before manually deleting more than 50 photos or videos, it may be better to forego the effort and simply delete the account yourself. This should ensure that these files are actually deleted.
Delete Your Account According to the Platform’s Instructions
Deleting a social media account can sometimes be complicated, as the steps may vary depending on the platform. Look for the corresponding instructions on the website or in the help sections provided by the provider. Be patient and stay focused, even if the process may seem cryptic. You may quickly get the feeling that many providers make it extremely difficult to permanently delete an account because they ultimately suffer from it. After deleting your account, it’s important not to be tempted to restore it. Some platforms allow you to restore the account within a certain period, such as within 30 days after initiating the process, if you log in again. To prevent this, you should consciously decide not to log in to the platform for a while and have your written decision template ready if necessary.
Be Proud of Your Decision
Deleting a social media account can be a liberating experience. Be proud that you made this decision and enjoy the benefits of a reduced online presence, which can promote your privacy and well-being.
Checklist
1. make an informed decision by weighing up the pros and cons and taking personal reasons into account
2. prepare the migration of your contacts and files, for example by transferring them to another platform or, better still, saving them locally
3. delete your account in accordance with the platform’s instructions and find out about any potential pitfalls that the platform wants to put in your way in independent forums.
4. be proud of your decision and value the reduced online presence you have gained for your privacy and well-being.