We have come to a point where social media is now an integral part of our lives. It's a way for us to connect to people from all over the world, as well as tell people what we're up to. Like many things, there are ways you can be an irresponsible user, but here are a couple of guidelines to avoid that.
1. Speak Like You Would in Real Life
With social media, people can hide behind their accounts, which is why the internet is a much harsher place when it comes to interactions. Before you say something mean, think about whether you would actually say that to the person's face.
It's a given that you shouldn't say anything cruel in general. However, it can be tempting when you're protected by anonymity. It is, after all, easy enough to create an account with a fake name, photo, and information. Best to avoid that as well.
2. Don't Post Too Much Information
Whether it's in your bio or your social media posts, don't reveal too much about yourself when it can be publicly viewed by anyone. For instance, you shouldn't post your personal number, email address, home address, and other sensitive information.
These can be used against you, particularly by fraudsters on the internet. There's also a line when it comes to posting matters that should be private. For example, a spat with your significant other should be resolved in private, not through the Facebook comment section.
3. Confirm Before You Share
It's a common thing for a lot of social media platforms now to share an original post made by someone else because you have the same thoughts or you want to share information with others. The best thing to do before you repost is to confirm its credibility.
In case you haven't noticed, social networking sites are riddled with misinformation. People post things that aren't true, mostly for attention or engagement. To avoid contributing to the growing problem, a bit of research will go a long way.
4. Don't Engage Trolls
If you've been on social media long enough, you've probably encountered trolls once or twice. In case you don't know, "trolls" is a term used for online users whose purpose is to get a rise out of people, usually because it makes them happy to do so.
When you do encounter such users, you should probably leave it alone. Depriving them of the attention might be enough to discourage them from doing it. Also, there's a certain level of satisfaction knowing that you did not give them what they wanted.
5. Don't Plagiarize/Steal Content
This is such an obvious rule, but people seem to be doing it a lot. Sometimes, people aren't even aware that they are doing it. When you want to post a video, photo, or text that you did not create, you should credit the owner by actually mentioning their name.
There are those who would simply add "credits to the owner," but that does not actually mean anything unless the owner's name is mentioned. You should also cite the source so people can view the context of where you got the text or media that you posted.
