After following a few simple instructions, you will be able to completely delete yourself from the popular social media platform “Facebook,” once and for all without any loose ends.
Many people think that deleting your account from Facebook is a straightforward procedure, and all a user has to do is to click a button in order to remove himself from social media. It is not entirely true. In this blog, we are going to shed light on a few points, which can help you make yourself completely vanish from the world of Facebook.
While the popularity of Facebook took a massive dip after the scandalous revelation of Cambridge Analytica, the reliability of Facebook is still intensely debated over the years. Some still see Facebook as a convenient platform to engage with people, share stories, images and connect with congenial people. However, there are people that have started to notice the real dark side of Facebook. Political campaigns, government propaganda, negative comments, privacy violation, and unrestricted pervading misinformation, all of this and much and more has brought a bad name to Facebook. The years 2008-2014 were the peak years for Facebook, and since 2016, the number of shared posts and new account holders has massively gone down. Nevertheless, if you are still using Facebook, and now you wish to take a break, right here, you will know how you delete all of the information related to you at the social networking site.
However, before we proceed further, it is imperative to know that there is a subtle difference between deactivating your handle and deleting your handle. A user may choose to use Messenger after deactivating the account, but if you wish to delete the account, you will not be able to use your messenger account, and all of your chat will be lost. Now, there are other platforms owned by Facebook such as Whatsapp, Instagram, etc., and if you wish to make yourself disappear from there as well, you may have to follow separate instructions.
Now, people who want to take a break from social media, or people who desperately want a short hiatus from all the tensions of social media, should only deactivate their account. However, it is imperative to note the fact that if you do that, the social network Facebook would still have the power to monitor online activity, so if your intention to get away from Facebook has stemmed from privacy worries, then this may not be the right option for you. In such scenarios, the right call would be to completely delete your account from Facebook along with all the information associated with it. You can choose to adhere to the instruction specified in the below-stated sub-sections if you wish to achieve that.
Here is everything you need to understand about deleting yourself from social media called Facebook.
Try Uninstalling the Application from Your Smartphone
There are numerous reasons for opting to delete a personal account from Facebook. And, one of the reasons is, obviously, distraction. If you feel like you are being distracted from your work because of Facebook, then you may choose to remove the application instead of deleting the personal account. However, as you know, this may involve merely uninstalling the application, and you may still be able to access the account from other smart devices or through a web browser. And, if your concern was not a distraction, but the privacy issue itself, then it may not be an ideal alternative for you as Facebook will still have the reach to get the info pertaining to your online surfing and history.
But, nevertheless, if you like using Facebook despite knowing all the privacy compromises, and you feel like you are just being distracted, then opt to uninstall the application for a few days and then install it back again when you are free.
Prefer Any Social Media Handle and Messaging Options
If you have decided to bid goodbye to Facebook for good, then you should know that you will not be able to use the Messenger app anymore. And, if you have people you communicate with on Messenger, then you might have to look for other alternatives to be able to reach out to them.
It’s a good idea to communicate your decision with them that you are going out of Facebook, and if they want to remain in touch, they will send their other contact information. Furthermore, Facebook also offers you an option to transfer your useful information and photos to other platforms such as Dropbox and Google Photos so that you don’t lose out on anything special or essential.
Disconnect Other Applications from Facebook
Why follow the trouble remembering so many passwords when you can log in on so many different applications and platforms by just using the Facebook application? Facebook acts as a third-party login alternative to so many sites such as Quora and IMDb, and people choose not to create their own id at those sites and use their Facebook accounts instead. Now, it is imperative to know the caveat that once you delete Facebook, you might lose access to those sites as well. So, you must enter into the sites in which you used Facebook as the third-party login credential, and disconnect Facebook from the account, and replace it with either a new login credential or using another third-party account.
If you wish to know which accounts depend on your Facebook account, you can do so by following the below-mentioned simple instructions.
Enter into your Facebook account.
Click on the option titled “Settings.” Then, move towards “Apps and Websites.”
If you still have confusion, you can write an email to the website and application directly and register your query to solve your issue.
Make a Request for a Copy for all of Your Facebook Data
Before saying your final goodbye to Facebook, you must ensure that you are taking all of your essential Facebook data with you in order to avoid future inconvenience. If you wish to do that, you can go ahead and review the below-written instructions.
Use your Facebook credentials to enter into your Facebook account.
Now, you will see the option titled “Settings.” Click on it to enter the “Settings” screen.
Then, make headway towards the option titled “Your Facebook Information.”
You will find a tab titled “View,” which will be available next to the option titled “Download Your Information.”
Once you enter the “Your Information” section, proceed to check all of the boxes available on the page.
Upon reaching the “data range” option, leave the command as “All of my data.”
If you wish to see your data in an easy-to-navigate format, then you can set the format of the data as HTML.
You will also be able to observe a drop-down menu option titled “Media Quality.” Facebook also offers you an option to get a copy of your photos and videos that you have posted on Facebook in a high resolutions format. If you wish to get that, then you can select on the drop-down menu and click on the “High” option to alter the resolutions from “Medium” to “High” in “Media Quality.”
See the option “Create File,” and then select it.
Facebook will assemble all of your information and then send you an email notifying you that the data is ready to be downloaded by you. This process does take a bit of time, so you need to show a bit of patience.
Proceed to Delete Your Personal Facebook Account
After you have collected all of your data and you have briefed all of your acquaintances on Facebook about your decision, then you can go ahead and proceed to delete your account. In the commencing step, you need to enter into your Facebook account one more time by entering your login credentials.
Before deletion, Facebook will try hard to change your mind and would ask you to reconsider and give you some specific tasks. For instance, Facebook would ask you to download the data, which, if you have already done, you may choose to ignore. Furthermore, if you are currently the administrator of a certain FB page, then Facebook would ask you to make someone else the admin, or otherwise, the page will be gone forever along with your account.
Now, deleting your account is very easy. After everything is said and done, you may go ahead and click on the “Delete Account” option and proceed to enter the “Continue” button. Present your login credentials, and you are good to go.
The Thirty-Days’ Time Period to Reconsider
Generally, Facebook does manage to delete your entire existence from its database within ninety days from the moment you click on the “Delete Account” option. However, for those who cannot make up their mind about a certain thing, Facebook does provide one final chance to come back. Any moment within the thirty days’ time period from the moment you click on the “Delete Account” time period, you can come back and restore your account, and all of your information, friends, and photos will be brought back in place like before. And, it would be as if you have never left.
Conclusion
There are several disparate reasons to keep yourself out of Facebook, but it is important that you choose the option that is suitable to you. If you are going for a hiatus in social media activity, then deactivating your account would be an ideal option. However, due to privacy concerns or other issues, if you want to never return to Facebook, you can proceed to delete your account. But, it is imperative to keep all of your data safe before ultimately saying goodbye to the social networking site.
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