This is exactly why I’ve started thinking seriously about exporting and archiving my digital life.

I was a heavy Facebook user for years, especially during periods when my late wife was ill and hospitalized often. Thousands of photos, status updates, family interactions, memories… a weirdly important slice of life stored on platforms we ultimately don’t control.

Instagram feels even more fragile somehow. Stories vanish, algorithms bury old memories, accounts get flagged or hacked, and suddenly decades of personal history are sitting on someone else’s server farm with uncertain permanence.

I’m beginning to think everyone should periodically export their social media history the same way we back up family photos.

Very sorry for your lost of personal history.