Clearing Social Media Clutter

Things are changing in the social media world. Not just recently, but constantly and relentlessly. And I’m drowning in social media clutter.

Should I add new accounts? Delete old ones? Continue ignoring the ones I’m not using? Arrgh! It’s a problem for me, but also one that’s easy to procrastinate solving because social media accounts don’t occupy physical space. They don’t even consume digital storage space unless, of course, you are creating images and videos for posting. Then it can add up fast.

NOTE: If you don’t have as many accounts as I do, count yourself lucky. If you have no trouble deciding which platforms to use, and are not overwhelmed by them, feel free to skip this post! Meanwhile, I’ve had a number of acquaintances express a desire to read such a post. Here you go!

Social Media Discomfort

I think everyone experiences social media discomfort, even if it’s only a momentary frustration with how something didn’t post the way you expected it would, or failed to reach your intended audience. And everyone’s got a different level of tolerance. Some get frustrated and leave a platform altogether because:

• They can’t keep up with changes in features and algorithms.
• There are too many settings to manage.
• They don’t know how to curate their feeds to their liking.
• They’re unsure how to handle “friends” who are argumentative or who post too much.
• They are reluctant to learn anything new.
• I’m sure there are additional reasons.

S= Sort

I wasn’t even sure where to start. Finally, it occurred to me to apply some good old-fashioned organizing principles to the problem. Why not use the S.P.A.C.E. method that served me so well during my professional organizing career?

First I gathered all my accounts together in one list — I took inventory. Sorting normally means putting like items together to see how many you have and which of those you want to keep. Sorting social media into categories is tricky because some of the platforms provide mixed and cross-over services.

Here are some examples:

• Business v. Personal — Business is business. Personal can include hobbies and interests. As a first-trial juror, the Menendez brothers murder case is more than a hobby for me, but it’s not something I want to talk about 24/7, either.
• Media types — Some platforms are image-based (Instagram). Others are video-centric (YouTube, TikTok), or feature short form written content (Twitter). Where it gets tricky is if a platform (Facebook) allows a combination of media types and sharing from other sources, but their algorithm constantly changes, prioritizing one over another without saying that’s what they’re doing now.
• Platform owners and interoperability — For example, Mark Zuckerburg owns the Metaverse, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads. Reels posted on Instagram can be automatically (or manually) posted to Stories on Facebook, which can be super handy, or super annoying depending on how you look at it. (I did not include Messenger in my inventory because it’s a communication tool more like texting or emailing than it is like social media.) And sometimes politics is a factor. Enough said.
• Target audience — The people you want to reach, and your reasons for wanting to reach them, may have changed over time. Or, the people you used to reach may have moved to another platform by now.

Taking inventory:

1. Facebook — personal profile (Hazel Thornton)
2. Facebook — business page (Organized for Life and Beyond)
3. Ex-Twitter — @org4life
4. Ex-Twitter — @menendezjuror
5. Instagram — @hazelthornton2022
6. Instagram — @menendezjuror
7. Instagram — @clutterflowcharts
8. Instagram — @photostorylegacy
9. Threads — @hazelthornton2022
10. Threads — @menendezjuror
11. Mastodon — @Hazel@newsie.social
12. Pinterest — @hazel_thornton
13. YouTube — Hazel Thornton
14. LinkedIn — Hazel Thornton
15. TikTok — @hazelthornton2022
16. TikTok — @menendezjuror

Sixteen. Whew! No wonder I’m overwhelmed!

Why so many?

Because…

• They’re fun to use and they all do different things and reach different audiences.
• I used to advise others on which platforms might suit them best, including the option of not using any of them if they weren’t clear on their goals. So I needed to have tried them.
• Unless I wanted to discuss the Menendez case 24/7 on every platform, I needed separate accounts for them.
• It’s easy to add platforms because they don’t take up physical space.

Why not keep them all?

Because…

• My needs have changed. For example, I am no longer running an organizing business, or a genealogy business. I do, however, still have books to sell.
• Each platform changes constantly in terms of algorithm, settings, etc. It’s hard to keep up with the changes that allow one to effectively use each platform, and even harder when there are so many platforms.
• Portions of my audience(s) — friends, family, clients, colleagues, followers, resources — have moved to different platforms and/or become frustrated with all the changes and simply stopped using their accounts.
• Even though electronic activities don’t take up physical space, they do consume time and energy, which occupy mental space!

P=Purge

For each account I asked myself: Am I actually using it? Have my needs changed? Has my audience changed? Is it still fun?

1. Facebook — personal profile (Hazel Thornton)

This is where I feel most “at home”. I’m sad that so many of my friends have left. And I’m frustrated about the decreased “reach” of my posts, but not frustrated enough to leave. Plus, I belong to a LOT of groups that don’t exist elsewhere. Some are more important than others. The topic of groups could be a whole blog post in itself! KEEP

2. Facebook — business page (Organized for Life and Beyond)

I’ve kept this page, since retiring from my business a few years ago, as a place to post organizing content. It’s also a way to continue to make the things available that I’ve posted previously. But I don’t think the effort is worthwhile anymore. I can still post about organizing (maybe not so much) on my personal page. DELETE.

3. Ex-Twitter — @org4life

Twitter, as you may have heard, got ugly the instant Elon Musk bought it. And I don’t just mean it got conservative. I mean that merely opening it up is sometimes like walking into a cafeteria foodfight full of people you don’t know and don’t want to know. I kept hoping he would get bored with his new toy and sell it to someone else, but no. I mostly only use it these days to share other organizers’ blog posts. I’ll find another way. DELETE

4. Ex-Twitter — @menendezjuror

This is where a lot of Menendez supporters still are, and I am one of their sources of information. KEEP

5. Instagram — @hazelthornton2022

You can see by the date (2022) that I haven’t had this account forever. I had plans to use it, but never implemented them. Plus, this is the account that for some reason is a target for being cloned. Ugh! DELETE

6. Instagram — @menendezjuror

This is where a lot of Menendez supporters still are, and I am one of their sources of information. KEEP

7. Instagram — @clutterflowcharts

I had plans for this account, related to my book Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook, but never followed through. DELETE

8. Instagram — @photostorylegacy

I had plans for this account, related to my book What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy, but never followed through. DELETE

9. Threads — @hazelthornton2022

I signed up but never really used this platform. It was created by Meta as a Twitter alternative, but I’m leaning towards Bluesky for that. DELETE

10. Threads — @menendezjuror

I signed up but never really used this platform. It was created by Meta as a Twitter alternative, but I’m leaning towards Bluesky for that. DELETE

11. Mastodon — @Hazel@newsie.social

I never made it past signing up because it seemed too complicated. Also I’m not hearing anyone talk about it anymore, so I’m not tempted anymore. DELETE

12. Pinterest — @hazel_thornton

I used this for a while, years ago. It was fun! It was a mix of personal and business for me, but my boards are so outdated that I hope no one sees them. DELETE

13. YouTube — Hazel Thornton

I continue to add a variety of videos to my channel and people continue to find them there. KEEP

14. LinkedIn — Hazel Thornton

I rarely use this other than to make sure my profile is up to date. There are lots of folks I’m connected to there and nowhere else, and once in a while someone worthwhile contacts me there. KEEP

15. TikTok — @hazelthornton2022

I use it every day, mostly for browsing. Not for being followed, or for posting. Also for commenting on posts as “Hazel Thornton”. KEEP

16. TikTok — @menendezjuror

I posted a bunch of videos a year or so ago that I still want people to be able to find. I use this account to comment on Menendez posts as “Menendez Juror”, and for re-posting other Menendez stuff to my Menendez followers. KEEP

DELETING = 9  

KEEPING = 7

A=Assign a Home & C=Containerize

OK, S.P.A.C.E. may not have been the best model for this project, but it did help me focus and pare down!

When it comes to social media clutter, each account becomes a “home” and a “container” for certain activities, as previously discussed for each account in the Purge section.

E=Equalize

An organizing principle that fits well into this category is the one in, one out rule. It helps to keep your mental space allotted to social media from overflowing. Historically, I have only added platforms. I haven’t deleted any, which is how I ended up with social media clutter!

Since I am deleting so many accounts, I feel there is room to try a new one:

Bluesky — @hazelthornton.bsky.social

I am envisioning this as a Menendez-free zone (except, of course, for the title of one of my three books, Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror). I haven’t posted yet, but I’ve established a profile and connected with some friends. It really does seem like early Twitter. So far, so good!

Next Steps:

I feel better having made some decisions. But I still have work to do!

1. Delete the identified accounts. That means looking up how to deactivate each of them, not just deleting the apps on my phone and not using them anymore.
2. Consider leaving forwarding messages (in the form of pinned posts) on certain accounts. Schedule a date to go back and actually deactivate and delete those accounts.
3. If it turns out not to be possible to delete one account without adversely affecting another, it’s OK to let it sit there. In which case, I’ll pin a forwarding message, as opposed to simply letting it look abandoned.
4. If I try to selectively download account data, and it turns out to not be possible, don’t worry about it. Just delete. I don’t need all that history.
5. Don’t forget to change the social sharing buttons on my website!

Do you have social media clutter?

What do you plan to do about it?

Please share with us in the comments below!

 

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• Hazel Thornton is an author, genealogist, and retired home and office organizer.
  
• Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror
• What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy
• Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook
• Feel free to link directly to this post! Click here to ask about other uses.
• Copyright 2024 by Hazel Thornton, Organized for Life and Beyond

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