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How to become a responsible social media user, what people usually see first on their social media accounts is the person’s profile picture and background information. Year by year, social media applications are always experiencing recent updates for their features. Nowadays, you can choose your preferred option if you want to change the color of your background like setting it to “Dark mode” and you can even modify your Messenger’s features as you wish, from having a plain white background to an aesthetic one. Not only that, but you can also notice that on Facebook and Instagram, you can add videos that went through your day instead of posting them in the timeline. People’s lives are now turning into open books with others because they are allowing others to become a part of their lives.
Social media is a place for you to build connections with anyone. In such a platform, you have the will and freedom to express your ideas by typing simple words from your cell phone, laptop, and other gadgets that will inevitably start a discussion among the people you let into your account. From then on, internet users can write their feedback in the comment box as well to show their response if they will agree or disagree based on what you post.
It would also not become as much of a surprise that the people you let in your virtual social circle would feel that it is perfectly okay to respond under your posts. The reason for this is that nowadays, people on the internet believe that social media is considered a public space and that anyone who decides to open it to the public would receive a response from the public, unsolicited or not.
It is also important to always keep in mind that simple banters and discussions online might form either a favorable relationship or cause a misunderstanding between yourself and the other person. This would root from multiple things including the differences or similarities in viewpoints, the culture and environment that you grew up in, the lack of education about certain topics, and a lot more. Regardless, there are gaps between both parties that might form an adverse situation and this gives high importance to be responsible for your own social media experience.
It should be customary for every user planning to enter the virtual space to remember that what you post and what you consume on the internet holds a certain amount of responsibility on your part.
You cannot expect to leave a sugar cube on the pavement and expect that it would stay the same after leaving it for an amount of time. Obviously, it might attract ants or other insects that would damage the sugar cube and most likely find tidbits of it scattered around the area you left it in, but you cannot inherently blame the insects for consuming the sugar since you put it out there. This is similar to the online experience and responsibility, wherein you can post anything that you would want, but also be mindful of the responses that you will receive and be held accountable for your content.
In lieu of this, these are the tips on how to be responsible in social media in the article namely, “Tips For Responsible Social Media Use”:
1. Keeping profiles set to private.
While there are people who are content in making their profiles to be seen by the public, in order to keep your account and personal life safe from strangers, setting your profiles in private is the best idea for you. Still, adding a few trusted people like your family and friends is a thumbs-up too. It does not matter if you have a thousand followers or not, because your security is what is more important than validation from anyone.
Having countless friends and sharing glimpses of your life can upgrade your status and label you as a “cool” person on social media, however, you should also remember that it should not be a permanent basis of yourself as a person and how you would live your life. The social media world is still not safe from the ones who have malicious intentions and being too comfortable could most probably hinder you from living your best life.
Another thing is that you should not put your personal information in all accounts like your home address, cell phone number, and even email address. Anonymous individuals can act as a “poser” or someone pretending to be you and copy all your personal details so that they will not be caught for their misdeeds on social media and instead have you responsible for it. By all means, this first tip is for you to be cautious about the things you disclose on the internet.
2. Avoid posting unprofessional photos.
Starting from your profile, make sure that it will look decent and presentable at the same time. It does not necessarily mean that you need to wear a coat or tuxedo to have a formal look, you can still wear clothes that scream a beautiful fashion statement but make sure that they will not display a sensitive part of your body because what everyone sees in the picture, will also describe your whole self.
Keep in mind that even if social media platforms are websites for adults and those above the age of 13 or even 17 years old, there are still younger audiences who can slip through the loose gates of social media and can view your account. The most you can do is become a role model for them by making them realize that wearing improper clothes on social media, especially if their age is not yet appropriate for it, must be abstained and carefully thought of for safety purposes and their own well-being.
Not only that, the photos that you will post on your timeline, as much as possible, must be suitable for all audiences like your travel photos, birthday celebrations, or family and friends reunions. In this way people will react a little more positively about you, enabling them to hit that Like and Love reaction button, instead of giving you a bad experience from your own virtual space.
(If you want to read all the tips in the article: Tips For Responsible Social Media Use, check their website: https://lawbuilding.com/tips-for-responsible-social-media-use/)
3. Think not just twice, but a million times.
This may be a common phrase, but thinking twice before posting anything is a smart thing to do on social media. Select your words carefully without attacking a person, group/organization, by saying nasty remarks if you will disagree with someone’s side. If you are giving criticism about a movie, film, or television series, make sure that your statements should look firm but formal and understandable at the same time.
Do not let your emotions get in the way because you can establish unhealthy communication if you will not control your temper. Using foul language towards a topic is a big no! It will only worsen the situation and it might backfire on you if people decide to provide hateful messages toward your response.
These are some of the few good reminders about using social media as a platform for everyone that will make netizens act responsibly and mind their behavior on social media:
First, social media is not a convenient place to shout your extreme feelings.
You do not have to tell the world that you are mad with a certain person and tag their name together with your post. If you have a misunderstanding with a friend, a family member, or a close acquaintance, just talk to them personally or send a direct personal message instead. The discussion that you made on your Messenger should also be kept private as disclosing it in public would defeat the purpose of having a personal and private message.
Whatever arguments and reconciliation you went through, must stay a secret unless need be. In recent days, we can see that some netizens are posting intimate conversations on social media through screenshots without covering the person’s face, making the post appear one-sided and might promote unfair judgment.
Second, do not share your passwords with anyone including your friends.
As stated in the article, “Using Social Media Responsibly”, telling your passwords to your friends earns a resounding no too. Even though you know your friends through birth, still giving your passwords to them is not advisable. Passwords must be heavily guarded by none other than you. Visualize it as your identity where no one can touch or invade it because this will inflict dangerous outcomes on your accounts. You can trust your friends with your secrets and troubles but saying or asking for their passwords is more off-limits than not.
Lastly, you need to take a break from social media too.
Reading a different post every day where millions of people share their insights on a certain topic and issue feels draining too. You could also experience a situation where you would feel as if your world is limited through online platforms only. So if you feel that way and social media is now stressing you out, then turn off your phone and indulge yourself with life outside of the internet.
You can get into reading good books that are both educational and fun at the same time or develop a hobby that does not include facing the radiation coming from your phone, desktop, or laptop screen. If need be, you can deactivate your account for a day or a whole week and refrain from taking a look at what is happening on the internet. It would not hurt to try to experience the outside world for a while. Aside from relieving stress, it could also help you in establishing boundaries between your personal and your virtual life.
We watch videos of foreigners out there doing content on their lifestyle and sometimes, they also lecture about history wherein they made dozens of documentaries to educate the people about the situation of other countries too. Through social media, we can share it too and even do our own content that delivers positive messages so that billions of people will realize that they have the power to change people’s mindsets in a beneficial way.
Social media is one of the fruits of our advanced technology in this modern age. Some people may see it in a negative way, but as a responsible citizen and netizen, it is also your obligation to turn it in a less negative light. The world is a mix of diverse people with unique cultures, but we can become one with the help of social media, all without sacrificing our privacy, beliefs, and our identities.
REFERENCES/LINKS:
https://lawbuilding.com/tips-for-responsible-social-media-use/
https://youthfirstinc.org/using-social-media-responsibly/
All images are from: https://www.pexels.com/
