I can't help but notice that people's lives revolve around social media these days. For that very reason, many have learned to use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms as a way to back up their photos and videos online without paying for a separate storage solution.

I've mostly lived within the Facebook and Instagram ecosystem, but I also invest in my own online storage solutions—though I know that's not bulletproof either unless everything is backed up offline on physical media. Lately, I've been hearing more and more stories about accounts suddenly disappearing, being suspended, or getting banned. Yesterday, it hit especially close to home.

My partner's page, which has existed for over 14 years, suddenly went poof!. Without any clear reason, Meta decided that his account was violating community standards. This is a verified account belonging to a media professional. It wasn't a case of being targeted. AI moderation is starting to run amok, and this is where we've chosen to place so much of our lives.

It gets me thinking.. what's the future of our information?

Last December—or perhaps a little earlier—I stopped posting online. I only kept my page going as a way of maintaining visibility where people already are, so I could continue being there for the animals. But I've been feeling the downsides of living on social media.

The "friends" I thought I knew don't even follow me. I realized many kept me as a connection only when they needed me to follow their pages, yet you can't rely on them to do the same. 🤷‍♀️ On top of that, social media behavior has changed. Consumers swipe more and engage less.

The more social media promised "connection," the less connected I felt.

Some people asked why I deactivated my account, and my answer was simple: there are more meaningful things happening offline. Whenever I felt happy enough to share something, I was reminded that there were people who had used my own social media posts against me. The more I withdrew, the less I posted. The chain reaction of "I'm happy to share this" became "I probably shouldn't share this."

And it's not just that. Scammers are getting smarter. With AI, they can steal your identity and turn you into a target.

In the online world, if you want to be visible, be prepared to defend yourself.

My next course of actions

Last night, I started requesting copies of my information from Meta and Instagram. Since I don't intend to post much anymore, there won't be much new data to back up moving forward.

My oldest account is on Instagram, where I keep photos of my rainbow bridge cat. Those are the memories that would hurt the most to lose.

Next, I'll ask a few close friends whom I trust to become backup administrators of my page. You never know when you'll need that extra layer of support.

For my page, I'll start reposting the important content on my website so it can live independently of any social media platform. Some of the images will also be duplicated on YouTube, especially now that community posts exist alongside Shorts.

As for my personal Facebook account, I intend to delete most of my posts, keep only meaningful connections (if there are any left), leave some groups, and maintain the account as a public profile. My Instagram account will remain private, but I also plan to remove most of my posts there. I've already trimmed down my followers and following lists.

My cats have their own Instagram account as well, and I've already backed that up.

I'll also spend some time cleaning up my backups and organizing photos by date. The most important memories will stay in multiple online backups.

I'm glad I kept my blog running all these years. I haven't fully returned to writing there yet, but it feels quieter, more intentional, and more organized.

How about you? What's your plan?