About Social Media :
Social media is a very powerful means of freedom of speech and expression, especially for voiceless people. It’s a collaborative identity creation where posts by different individuals come together to create a dynamic and evolving identity and user profiles are informed by both the users and their connections.
It is an evolving user interface and privacy settings alter both users and visibility through the site, as well as the ability of the user to reasonably control it. Users voluntarily disclose personal details, beliefs, and preferences in order to socialise and its content is easily contextualised in many aspects.
Many of us treat our social media accounts as purely a social vent, casually updating statuses and posting photos online on social platforms with a little expectation of how friends and followers on how they feel about your social vent. Your online actions could seriously limit educational, personal, or professional prospects in the future.
What’s the downside of Social Media :
The rise of unlawful activities from all sections of society including individuals, corporations and political leaders, has laid foundation stones to thoughts of censoring social media under the pretext of safety.
Users are giving their personal information on social platforms and they keep track of all interactions used on their sites and save them for later use i.e. Every behavioral aspect of the individual is being monitored documented & Harvested for probable commercial use.
Companies steal your private words, actions, conversations, photos and making them public without context and making them public, without compassion
How to Remove Indecent Images You Have Noticed :
- Google : Click on Settings – Select Search Help – Expand Troubleshoot and Request Removals – Click on Remove Information from Google
- Twitter : Fill out the following address. https://support.twitter.com/form/private_information.
- Facebook : Click on the photo / video to expand it – Click on the ellipsis (…) or drop down on the top right – Click on “I don’t like this photo” or “Report this Post” – Choose relevant option i.e. “I think it shouldn’t be on Facebook”
- YouTube : Below the YouTube player click on More button – Highlight and click the Report button in the drop down menu – Click the reason for flagging that best fits for violation within the video – Provide any other details that may help the review team make their final decision.
Top 10 Social Media Etiquettes:
- Marching towards Likes : Don’t decide where to eat based on what would look nice on your social media. Don’t buy an outfit for Social Media Posting. Don’t overextend yourself at the gym for a video to be posted on Social Media.
- Sense of Humour Isn’t Universal & Expressions : What could be humour to you may not be humour to others, So expressions on social media have to be carefully done.
- Notifications : It is highly recommended that you log off all your social media applications when not in use, else notifications feed on your smartphone not only leads to addictions but also causes a lot of distractions.
- Toxic Accounts : Following accounts that post things you may perceive as negative will increase the chances of you having a negative experience on social media.
- Competition : We have to deal with enough competition in our real lives already and we shouldn’t really need more of it in the online world. Please remember Your followers / likes aren’t a reflection of you as a personality
- Consent : It should be treated the same way both offline and online.
- Your Personality : It is both a reflection of how you want others to see you and also how others see you based on your social media activity.
- Disconnect with Bullies : You could have someone who doesn’t like you on social media. and that’s absolutely alright, ensure you disconnect with them instead of connecting and getting a negative comment.
- Virtual Life : Don’t get so lost in the virtual world that you neglect yourself and your loved ones. Just as an example you could have 100 likes on your birthday and only one friend joining you at your home giving you a warm hug.
- Logging : Use Laptops for logging in to social media accounts instead of smartphones as it reduces the possibility of addiction.
Managing friend requests:
- Add people that can add value to your life and work.
- Do not blindly accept friend requests just because you have common friends.
- Do a thorough profile check before sending and accepting friend requests.
- It is good to unfriend, block after scrutiny, as impulsive actions can have a negative impact on the connections.
- Never be in a hurry to add back people who unfriended you, for unless the differences are resolved, this cycle could repeat
- It is impolite to initiate detailed conversations immediately upon being accepted. It is better to send a thank you note with a brief introduction about yourself.
- It is wise to accept requests that have a proper profile picture with self-written posts and not just random pictures and meaningless forwards.
- Do not resend the request immediately if it is kept on hold or deleted.
- Make meaningful connections while being alert and aware.
Managing Social Media Trolls / Wars:
- Request relevant supporting information, before giving your opinion.
- Don’t start off a different conversation under someone else’s post.
- Do not get personal and create negativity.
- Discuss without extreme reactions.
- Keep the language simple and clean.
- Learn to back off when the conversation is going nowhere or is getting out of hand.
- It is okay to hold different viewpoints. Choose your battles carefully.
- Learn to respond after careful thought instead of reacting impulsively.
- Constructive arguments are thought provoking and can lead to great learnings.
- Stay away from social media, If you’re in a bad mood.
- Think of the result before doing anything.
Managing Online Affairs:
- A simple hi” from your side or from another person has the potential to change your life.
- Understand the difference between friends and acquaintances.
- If you have personal problems in your life, you might want to share them with a stranger, but this could sometimes lead to an affair.
- Loneliness can be a major reason for initiating close connections.
- It is good to know the implications of being in such situations before venturing into it.
- Exposure in the form of screenshots, photos, call recordings, and intimate videos can be used for blackmail purposes.
- Your family life could get disturbed.
- Please seek guidance whenever and wherever needed.
- Do not pick up all chats, be discreet and stay alert.
- Do not get overly attached to online connections, as you may or may not get to have a real relationship with them.
- Do not share intimate, inappropriate pictures or force others to do so.
- Be practical and do not let emotions get the better of you.
- If you see a future and are eligible, be honest and true.
- Temptations would be everywhere; one must know how to cope better.
- If you wish to end an association, try to make it peaceful and less chaotic.
Top 10 Tips for Using Social Media Safely:
- Block cookies and configure privacy settings for your social media platforms to control information sharing
- Surf websites using only HTTPS:// (Padlock Symbol)
- Protect your location online
- Use a complex password with a capital letter and special characters. Also, set up Two-Step Verification for all logins (2FA)
- Don’t leak location while viewing or uploading images
- Expand short links to prevent malicious attacks
- Use end-to-end encryption messengers
- Never share sensitive information on social media platforms. (Financial, Login Credentials, Organisation and Personal Information) As your identity could be compromised.
- Only connect with people that you know and trust in real life. If required you may lock your profiles.
- Consent should be treated the same way for all offline and online Interactions.
Reporting Abuse online:
- Try and Report directly to social platforms as mentioned in this article and if the gravity of the situation is much then you should complain on the national cybercrime portal, https://www.cybercrime.gov.in
- https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/policies/community-guidelines/
- https://www.facebook.com/help/181495968648557
- https://help.instagram.com/165828726894770/
- https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/report-abusive-behavior
- https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/security-and-privacy/staying-safe-on-whatsapp
- https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/article/safety-tips-resources
