Instagram - posts can still be checked in a browser without logging in. Imginn exists too if you want to browse a profile.
Facebook - Anecdotal, but I have not had a Facebook account in 20 years and I can safely say I’ve never once had FOMO or trouble finding information on an event. If it’s a private social gathering that’s worth going to, someone will invite me.
Instagram/Facebook I would just delete. Maybe make a final post explaining why you’re deleting and say “find me on Pixelfed” just to help spread the word.
For Reddit, I love when see people replace every comment they ever made with a link to Lemmy before deleting their account. Reddit shows comments from deleted accounts so they stay up. There are apps that will do this for you.
For Gmail just hold onto and have it forward to your new address in case someone tries to contact you that way. But also back it up with Google takeout in case Google randomly decides to delete the account (rare but it happens).
I have a feeling most people click the maximum privacy “hide from contacts” option at the start, probably not thinking it through. And that means you wouldn’t be able to see them. You can try searching manually as that sometimes seems to find them.
That said, when I asked people who texted me “do you have Signal?” I think about 50% said yes and the other 50% were able to download it without issue.
Privacy.com is easy, too.
Well you’re in luck because the translation feature is local https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/website-translation
I just last month tried out Bazzite for fun and haven’t switched back. I feel like an idiot for sticking with Windows as long as I did. I was the metaphorical frog in the pot of water not realizing how shitty it had become. I guess I should be grateful there isn’t any program I need that’s Windows only because Bazzite is better than Windows in every way I can think of.
my question is, does it really matter doing all of that before deleting when it comes to privacy?
It doesn’t hurt to be thorough but FWIW they say it will be deleted:
What happens if I permanently delete my Facebook account?
Your profile, photos, posts, videos, and everything else you’ve added will be permanently deleted. You won’t be able to retrieve anything you’ve added.
If you’re only watching subscriptions and not scrolling the generated feeds, you could presumably run tubearchivist through a VPN and then watch via Jellyfin or Plex (there are plugins).
It will not only be private but it has sponsorblock.
how can i live peacfully knowing that i can be suspected of anything just because i made a joke here or said something there?
You’ve never been able to say things publicly (or, since the internet, publish something that the entire world can read) and expect to be shielded from the consequences. There is always a risk that comes with speaking freely, especially if powerful people perceive your words as a challenge to their power.
The erosion of privacy protections is a reason to despair, but it is also a reason to speak more.
Is this thing as sketchy as it seems?
Sam Altman and Andreessen Horowitz involvement should be all you need to know. But the reality is probably less dystopian than some people make it out to be. World to me just seems to be Altman trying to sell a solution to the problem that he’s trying to create with OpenAI (chatbots that are indistinguishable from humans).
There is with Reddit! If you browse enough old posts you’ll inevitably come across a profile who’s history entirely consists of “I’ve quit and gone to Lemmy”.