Deleting a social media account can be due to several reasons. Whether want to disconnect from social media, focus on your hobby/passion, or you were unfortunately hacked, the simple act of deleting your social media can be a big decision, and shouldn't be done lightly.
However, if you're dead set to delete your account, here is a summary of how to do it and what happens after your account is deleted to help you be more informed about your decision.
Deleting Your Facebook account
Facebook gives its users some form of flexibility through a few options on how to delete their accounts.
Should you want to take a break from Facebook, you can deactivate your account instead of outright deleting it entirely. Deactivating your Facebook account temporarily removes your account while retaining the photos, videos, and posts you made and uploaded to it, according to Facebook Help Center's page on the topic. However, people can't message you or find your account when they search for it, nor can you use your deactivated account to access Oculus products or your Oculus information.
People with deactivated Facebook accounts will also find that the pages they control will also be deactivated. However, they can still send and receive messages using Facebook Messenger.
A deactivated Facebook account can be re-activated at a later date.
Permanently deleting your Facebook account will remove your account, your posts, and the photos and videos you uploaded to it. The pages you directly control using the deleted account will also be removed from Facebook unless you've given someone else control of that page.
Deleting your Facebook account will also delete your Oculus information, which includes your app purchases and achievements. Returning any apps will also be impossible while existing store credits will be lost.
Messages previously sent using the deleted account can still be read by their recipients, but they can no longer message you back.
Should you want to permanently delete your Facebook account, click on the drop-down button to reveal Facebook's main menu. From this menu, select Settings & Privacy and then click on Settings. Doing so will take you to the Facebook Settings page.Once Facebook is displaying its Settings page, click on "Your Facebook Information" and then choose Deactivation and Deletion. Facebook will then ask whether you want to deactivate or permanently delete your account.
Click on Delete account and then "Continue to account deletion" to delete your Facebook account.Once the process is done, Facebook will immediately start deleting your account and its information. Should you change your mind, you only have 30 days to cancel the deletion process and retrieve your account. Once the 30-day window period is done, all of your account's info is deleted and it can no longer be retrieved.
Deleting your Twitter Account
Just like Facebook, Twitter also offers you the option of either deactivating or permanently deleting your account.
However, deactivating your Twitter account is the first step toward account deletion. Unlike with Facebook, which gives you the freedom to re-activate your account anytime, Twitter gives you 30 days to re-activate your account should you want to go back. Once the 30-day window ends, you can consider your account as permanently deleted, per Twitter Help's page on the matter.
Simply put, if you want to delete your Twitter account, you only have to deactivate it and then forget about it existing in the first place.
However, deleting your Twitter account doesn't exactly erase your information. Search engines like Google and Bind can still look up your information if it is searched. You'll have to contact these search engines to prevent your account's information from being searched.
Additionally, mentions of your account's username in others' tweets will still exist, although any mentions of you will no longer be linked to your profile as it is already deleted.
To deactivate and (eventually) delete your Twitter account, click on the "More" icon and then select Settings and Privacy from the drop-down menu. Clicking on the "Your Account" tab will display a bunch of options involving your account. Click on "Deactivate your Account" to proceed with account deactivation.
Finally, carefully read the account deactivation information and then click on Deactivate. Doing so will display a prompt asking you to enter your account's password. After giving your password and confirming that you want to proceed with deactivation, click on the Deactivate account button to finish the process.
Deleting your Instagram account
Just like its parent app, Facebook, Instagram also gives you the option of temporarily deactivating it and permanently deleting it, per Instagram Help Center's page discussing the topic. However, unlike Twitter, deactivating or disabling your Instagram account doesn't mean it'll be deleted after a month. However, unlike Facebook, you can't cancel the deletion process once you click on the Delete button.
To permanently delete your Instagram account, go to the Delete your Account Page from a mobile browser or computer as you can't delete your account through its app.
Next, select an option from the dropdown menu next to "Why are you deleting your account?" and then enter your password. The option to permanently delete your account will only appear once you've selected a reason from the menu.
Once you have selected a reason why. Click or tap Delete.
Keep in mind that an Instagram account deletion will also delete your profile, photos videos, comments, likes, and followers.
Deleting your TikTok account
Deleting a TikTok account is very straightforward but just as permanent as the social media platforms previously discussed.
Permanently deleting your TikTok account will mean that your uploaded videos, watch history, followers, and like will be permanently revoked, per Today.com. However, keep in mind that chat messages and direct messages may remain viewable to some users even after your account is deleted.
To delete your TikTok account, tap the Profile button at the bottom right corner of the screen and then tap on the 3-line icon at the top right, per the TikTok Help Center's page on the matter. Afterward, tap Manage Account and then "Delete Account" to continue the deletion process.
Once that's done, follow the instructions to permanently delete your account.
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