If I had my way, Facebook would have a hard and fast expiration date for posts. I generally don’t want most of what I say hanging around longer than I’d keep eggs in the fridge. Sure, some links and videos are worth revisiting—but does anyone really care that I was tired on that Monday in 2008?
But most of our Timelines are full of this rotting nonsense. There’s no value in it for me, nor for my friends either, most likely. I’ll grant the infrequent occasion for someone to think, “I remember an awesome video that Jen posted last year—let me go find it on her Timeline!” But most of those posts are digital clutter. They aren’t interesting, especially when they’re taken out of the context in which they were originally posted. I have celebrations of past Washington Capitals victories, well wishes for friends running marathons, and inane comments about the weather. I see no reason to preserve this for prosperity, and since it's my data, I want to be in control of its disposal.
The new year inspires people to make a clean start, and with that motivation, I set out to delete everything I had posted on Facebook that was more than a month old. In 2011, Farhad Manjoo said here on Slate that deleting my past would be easy.
Really, Farhad? You obviously didn’t try it.
Finding my past is easy. Facebook's “Activity Log” (found near the top of your Timeline page) shows you everything you’ve ever done on Facebook: every friendship made, every like, every comment, every cringe-worthy thing you’ve ever said. I’d go on, but Slate contributor Steve Kolowich already nailed the feeling you get from browsing this excruciating log.
Before deleting everything, you might want to save a copy of it. This is easy. Click on the gear at the top of the Facebook site and select Account Settings. At the bottom of that page is a link to download your data. Facebook will assemble a package of everything you have posted, including photos and videos, and send you a link to a zip file. Now, you can keep a private copy of everything—just in case.
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