There’s no shortage of other platforms that people can use. Popular alternatives include LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Parler and MeWe. Bear in mind that Facebook also owns WhatsApp and Instagram. There has been talk recently about data being shared across all Facebook-owned platforms.Over time, Facebook accounts accumulate more and more dross, and it’s all data for the platform’s algorithms. Facebook wants you to build up hundreds and hundreds of friends, and it’s all grist to their mill.It’s good to do a periodic spring clean of all your social media accounts - not just Facebook. Take out contacts who are no longer relevant, or who you can’t remember how you ever came to be friends with them.If you want to take it to the next level, deactivate your Facebook account and take a break. Or delete it and set up a new account with only the friends you really want.The ultimate is to simply take the entire account — and the probably gigabytes of data Facebook has accumulated on you — and cast it into oblivion.David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.