For a long time, I have had a script running where every time I tweet, it gets archived to my GitHub Pages space here. In hindsight, that was a prescient move, not least because once I stopped actively using Twitter awhile back, it was great to have a copy of my own insights over the years. But now, it seems even more important because I closed my account yesterday. With everything else going on in the world, what I absolutely didn't need was a vestige of a former self clogging up my mind. At some point, Twitter will be hacked or go down in a catastrophic nature and I can rest soundly knowing that I won't be a part of that train wreck.
The funniest part, however, is the juxtaposition of letting the active go without parting with the inactive. The old EloquentFeed twitter account and the JayRay twitter account live on because of the clutter I am willing to keep hosting. Given the fact that the backup process was automated, it has felt fine to just leave it there. Perhaps, like the TBD about the site's design in the About page, this too shall include a point where I will just let it go.
Admittedly, I have kept Twitter around as long as I have for reasons that I am not particularly proud of: my handle. I frequently got requests from users to hand over my seldom used Twitter name because I have had the account since 2007. @JayRay is a great username. But just like holding onto old baby books that won't see use and would be better suited to give to a new family, it is time to hand that over to whomever wants to go down with the Twitter ship rocking a good username.
I hadn't realized this until today, but I closed my account 15 years to the day I joined. Good luck, old friend. I hope I am wrong about your health and safety.
