Each day is a surprise, and you'll often be shown a Facebook post or an Instagram image that you've probably forgotten about. It can be a pleasant shot of nostalgia or an embarrassing reminder of the person you once were, but it exemplifies one simple fact - the internet never forgets.
There's a lot of talk these days about going on a social media detox by taking a break from obsessing over retweets and Instagram likes. But sometimes, you might want to go beyond just a temporary timeout from social media. You may not want the HR manager at your next potential workplace or your new girlfriendboyfriend to see your impulsive Twitter rants or the selfies you took with your ex. Or maybe, you just want to cut it all and start over with a brand new online persona.

Think twice
Deleting your social media profiles and accounts from online services like Google is an extreme step and one that you shouldn't take impulsively. Remember, the very nature of social networks is such that everything is interconnected. Take that questionable Facebook post you shared with a friend for instance. You may remove the post itself, but a link to it will remain on your friend's account, even if the original post is no longer present. This rule applies to all of social media. If you do decide that deleting all your online accounts is the way to go, consider the various options that these services offer.

Google
This is the big one. The benefit of a Google account is that one log-in gives you access to a variety of services that have become essential to us. Gmail, YouTube, Google+, Hangouts, Google Maps, Google Drive — these are all linked to one Google account. It's super convenient, but it also means that you can't delete one and retain the others. You'll also lose all content associated with your Google account, including your photos and documents on Google Docs and the apps you purchased from the PlayStore.
To delete your Google account, sign in and go to 'My account'. Under 'Account preferences', click on 'Delete your account or services', followed by 'Delete Google account and data'.

Facebook
Facebook doesn't want you to leave, and so you'll have to jump through quite a few hoops to actually delete your account. Deactivate your account instead of deleting it as it will make your account unusable and inaccessible to your friends and the public.
But if you do decide to go all the way and delete your account, you'll first want to disassociate your account from all services that you access using your Facebook account. You'll also want to remove all apps that you've added to your account. Finally, if you're the administrator for any Facebook Pages or Groups, designate another person as admin so that those PagesGroups don't disappear with you.
You also might want to download all your Facebook data before you leave for good. The option can be found in the 'General' section of your account settings. The delete account option isn't available within your settings, so you'll have to visit the URL 'httpswww.facebook.comhelpdelete_account' to access it. Your account won't be deleted right away but within two weeks, and if you happen to log in within this cool-off period, your deletion request will be cancelled. Once it is deleted, Facebook says it will take up to 90 days for all content related to your account to be deleted, although the account itself will be deleted.

Twitter
Twitter doesn't offer separate deactivation and delete processes, but deactivating your account is the only way to delete it. To deactivate your account, sign in and head to 'Account settings', where you'll find the 'Deactivate my account' option. If you do not sign into your deactivated account for 30 days, Twitter will initiate the process of deleting it, which could take up to a week. Bear in mind that you won't be able to use the email address associated with this account to open a new Twitter account in the future.

Instagram
To temporarily disable your Instagram account, log in to your account from the service's desktop website, go to your profile and select 'Temporarily disable my account'. To delete your account permanently, go to the URL 'httpswww.instagram.comaccountsremoverequestpermanent' once logged in. WhatsApp
WhatsApp can only be deleted via the app itself. Once you delete your account, you will lose all the information related to it, including your chat logs, friends and groups. The process varies a bit depending on the operating system of your phone, but on Android and iOS, you can delete your account by heading into 'Settings', then 'Account' and selecting 'Delete my account'.

Source: Times of India

BDST: 1633 HRS, APR- 12, 2016
Edited by:  Sharmina Islam, Lifestyle Editor