Social networks are widely used platforms to contact friends or family, as well as keep ourselves informed on the Internet. Over time, you may store a lot of information. For example, you could accumulate photos, publications, contacts… Maybe you don’t want to lose all this. It is something that can happen if your account is stolen, if that social network ceases to exist, etc.
We are going to tell you what social media backups consist of and what reasons there are to make them. It is something you could do on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, for example. A way to prevent your data from being lost and having problems in the medium or long term.
What is a social media backup
But what exactly is a social media backup? Basically, it is that: create a copy of the information you have in your profile on that social network. This can include messages, photos that you have uploaded or where you have been tagged, the contacts you have added, the publications you have been making…
It is the same as creating a backup copy of your computer, but in this case from an online platform. You can save all the content and download it to your device, so you can view it at any time. Even if that social network ceases to exist, you could still have your photos and videos.
Typically, these backups are downloaded in ZIP, HTML, or JSON files. Depending on what you are downloading, they may have one format or another. It will also depend on the social network itself and the options it has. Not all of them allow you to download all the content at once or with the same ease.
Once you have your copy downloaded, you can save it on any device or physical memory. You can do this process from time to time, to always have your social networks, their information, safe.
Why is it useful
One of the reasons why it can be useful to create backup copies of social networks is to protect data. They can be photos, messages… In case something happens to that profile, you wouldn’t lose everything. Your account could be stolen, for example. You will always have a copy and, at least, preserve much of what you have stored.
It is also interesting if you have decided to delete that profile. Maybe you have contacts on that social network, such as Facebook, that you don’t want to lose. If you suddenly delete the account, you could lose contact with those people. This way, you would always have the necessary information there to add them to another profile, another social network, etc.
Another reason is to be able to have greater control over your data or photos that are uploaded. It could happen that they are not photos that you have uploaded directly, but rather another user, so you depend on a third account. Downloading that content can prevent you from losing it at any given time, in case that account is deleted.
In short, considering making backup copies of your social networks can be interesting. It will help you keep control over your data, photos or contacts. It’s simple and you can do it on platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
