When I graduated high school, I soft-reset my internet presence everywhere.
Essentially, I picked a new username and began new accounts, deleting my old ones as I left. I kept a lot of the same friends and followers in private (and IRL connections, of course). I am actually really glad I did that. I reccommend this to anyone graduating high school. Sometime very soon you are going to realize you don't want a direct public line between your teenager self and your adult self.
Shortly, I am going to graduate college. (If all goes well.) I'm wondering: should I do this again? The urge is there, though less intense now than it was in 2018. I did have a new username waiting in the wings, but I don't know if I like it anymore. This transition has a lot more unknowns involved.
So, here I am, working out what I want for my digital future. It's a bit like writing a will. Except hopefully I'll be alive by the end of this.
Why haven't I deleted/remade [account] already ?
I like using it.
Either I like posting to it or visiting it or something. It's built into my routine, I like the culture, whatever.
One or two people I really like use it, and I can't find them elsewhere.
This is less true nowadays as everyone has accounts everywhere, but it's definitely a factor: some communities are some places and not others.
I get better reception when I promote (thing I made).
Now that I don't care about this with regards to art anymore, this is mostly limited to promoting my radio show. But I don't expect to continue that past graduation.
I forgot I made that account...
Happens!
What's the plan for [account] ?
This site:
THIS guy is definitely sticking around. (For years more, I hope, outliving neocities if need be. I'm currently going through it and improving/future-proofing what I can, to make sure it's stable if I take some time off).
I had a brief thought of giving this site a more professional look and landing page, something I could link my portfolio in, but screw that. This is a neocities site, baby. This should be my sandbox to play around, make ugly things, ramble to myself, change on a whim. If I want a portfolio site I can make a portfolio site.
That's not to say this site won't go unchanged: it will probably get a tiny bit more boring as I remove (or hide) some of the sloppier old stuff, and then gradually more interesting as I add to it in the future. Content over form.
Tumblr:
When I started my current tumblr, I meant for it to be like a portfolio site: just my art and occasionally things that inspired me. I posted in a very restrained fashion.
Thing is, I don't really need an art portfolio site. Besides, that's what my neocities is for. News of Tumblr's death is greatly exaggerated and most of my friends are still on there. I should be less shy about posting goofy fannish stuff there and make that my primary social media again.
Twitter:
Fate uncertain. I'll probably scale back on using it or perhaps remake it. It's how I keep tabs on a lot of my adult friends/contacts who I don't want to lose contact with, and I use it a lot out of habit, but I'm hoping it's a habit I can break. Not a great format for me.
Instagram:
Okay, yeah, THIS one can go in the trash can. I made it as a more serious portfolio after my Tumblr stopped feeling like a portfolio. I can find everyone I care about on there elsewhere and say sayonara.
Reddit:
I never use this account, ever, but it's nice to have once in a blue moon. Guess I'll just delete it and remake another if I ever have the pressing need to use it for something.
Facebook:
Can Zuck it. Delete. Only thing I could possibly miss is Miscellanous T.
AO3:
This one I actually never deleted after high school. You can still find some goofy Star Trek fics on there. I'll let it live, like a mutant little cockroach. Maybe I'll finish the one about zombies invading the Enterprise someday.
Listography, Ko-fi, I have a Blingee account??, anything I've forgotten: