First things first, let’s talk Netiquette!
For many of us, we spend an unlimited amount of time (and data) on our smartphones and laptops. By this I do not mean, pacing to find secondary research for a thesis paper or rummaging through the online university library to find the easiest tool to APA format with but rather: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Google, and Tumblr. These are only 6 of the millions of websites we visit everyday to quench our curiosities or to broaden our horizons but what is interesting is, the extroverted behaviours we find more comfortable to perform on the web rather than in person.
Thousands of messages from one media platform to a next are sent by an individual on a daily basis to the world or to other individuals personally. It is important to remember that (just as our mothers have drilled into our memories by saying) what goes on the internet can never be un-done. Unfortunately, hitting the ‘delete’ button does not necessarily mean that it’s gone forever.
This being noted, here are some simple but important guidelines that all social network users should live by:
- Cyberbullying is never the answer
With the ever evolving nature of social networks, specifically the ability to comment and express your own opinions on someone else’s post, bullying is a rising negative factor. Some people find it easier to play the ‘rude, macho and high horse’ type of person from behind a computer or phone screen but these comments can really affect the one its being written about or toward. This is super important to keep in mind.
2. Anonymity, what?
Because of you are typing this from behind a computer screen does mean that your comments/uploads/photos/videos won’t ever be linked to you. It is super easy to slip up one day and have everyone know that you were the one behind the nasty comments on Jane’s photos so when you are posting your opinions be sure to ensure that it is something that others would find acceptable and constructive rather than demeaning. Also, what is important to note is that once your name or handle is associated with something of a specific nature, it is always possible that it could come back to bite you again in the future (especially when dealing with job hunting and your online footprint!)
3. You can’t always be right
There are a wide wide amount of opinionated sites that everyone can wander upon once in a while and there are going to be people that disagree with your stance on a topic. It is important that users understand that it is okay to agree to disagree with what is being said and it is not always necessary to bite back at other users that attempt to change your stance or belittle your belief in something. Note: everyone is different and holds different beliefs and values.
At the end of the day, the internet and all that it is, is inevitable. It is solely up to us as users to create a bright and positive persona (and footprint) on all platforms we become a part of. Best of luck!
