Deleting online accounts and content has become a necessary step for many to protect their privacy. Actions taken include deactivating or deleting social media accounts like Mastodon and Twitter. Users are aware that content posted years ago could resurface and be detrimental. Many individuals actively scrub their online presence to minimize risk, removing provocative images or statements. The transformation of social media from a tool for self-expression to potential entrapment has driven these decisions, emphasizing the need for caution in online activities.
We don't want to believe what we deeply understand: nothing is really deleted, and someone, somewhere can (and probably will) use that record against us.
In 2025, social media transformed from self-expression to entrapment.
I just pulled the plug on my much-beloved Mastodon account as part of a more comprehensive effort to sanitize my online presence.
I scrubbed anything I felt might be moderately provocative or offensive to anyone who might be looking.
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