Downsizing Your Online Identity
We all have the physical identity we present with our bodies and attire when we interact with others. There's another kind of identity we in 21st century possess as well: the one we create online. It's a composite of our social networking accounts, our email accounts, our memberships with various online services, etc. The more accounts we have, the more data and detailed "personality" we create for ourselves, and hence a unique online identity.
Carnival junkies
We have only ourselves to blame as we fall victim to the dizzy carnival-like playground we call the Internet. We get dazzled by the bright lights, the colors, the clamor, the intense energy, and so what do we naturally do? We buzz like moths near the flame. It's instructive to get our wings singed a few times to help wake us up - in this case to the risk of being hyper-exposed online, to growing an overinflated online persona. The more exposed you are, the easier it is for hackers to target you.
Zap the unwanted accounts
The good news is the online identity that we have wittingly or semi-consciously created for ourselves can also be dismantled by us, the owner of the identity. We have the power to close our accounts at any time. Goodbye Facebook! Sayonara AOL! Adios newsletter subscriptions! There are consequences and trade-offs, but we can do it.
Withdrawal pains
The real challenge in downsizing one's online identity is the same any type of addict goes through when breaking free of that which usurps willpower: withdrawal pains. Physical pains are bad enough for drug addicts. But it's the emotional ones that linger, that haunt and torment, because the ego has to redefine its identity, which to any ego is an existential threat.
Google yourself
If you're up to the challenge of downsizing your online ego then besides scrapping any obvious and unwanted aspects of your persona try Googling yourself to learn what else the Internet knows about you. Then start unplugging from places you don't want to be.
It may take time to reduce your imprint, but for the average Joe and Jane, not too long. After all, a carnival doesn't want bystanders, it wants big spenders. Save your ticket money for the attractions you like best, not what others want you to see and do.
Get off the hackers' radar
As mentioned earlier if you head towards the down low you'll also reduce your visibility to hackers, which will lessen your anxiety and make life more fun, whether online or off. In the long run, that's a better high than any carnival can provide.
Here's a related article with step-by-step guidance on removing yourself from high profile sites:
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/remove-delete-yourself-from-the-internet
Thanks for reading!
-Sam
