Do you wish to use social media responsibly in order to prevent undesirable consequences? That would be fantastic because using social media responsibly is a must nowadays. Every internet user must establish a positive online profile while also protecting their safety.
In this article, I’ll provide you with 9 practical ways how to be a responsible social media user. Let’s get started!
1. Use Social Media to Connect with Others But Avoid Cyberbullying or Harassment
Connecting with other users but abstaining from harmful behaviors like cyberbullying or harassment was part of responsible social media use.
I’ve found that interacting positively with other users is the greatest method to approach them. I always respect their viewpoint when we speak and try to avoid being harsh.
As you have noticed, social media has the power to bring us closer together through its messaging application. It is very wonderful because it builds and strengthens relationships even if you’re in an opposite corner of the world.
The terrible part is that a lot of individuals actively encourage harmful actions like harassment and cyberbullying. If you encounter these kinds of people online, don’t be influenced by them and report them directly to authorities.
The common scenario that I’ve noticed regarding why cyberbullying or harassment occurs is that people don’t agree with certain opinions. Every user must remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion, if they don’t agree with it, they must continue to respect them.
2. Manage Your Personal Information to Protect Your Privacy
I’ve been using social media for more than a decade and I would highly recommend that you will learn how to manage your personal so that you will protect your privacy from possible cyberattacks.
This is one way to use social media responsibly because you are mindful of what information you placed out there. We never know what kind of people will visit your profile and they will steal your information.
You must exercise caution once you create an account by taking proactive steps like hiding it from the public. Additionally, you need to create secure passwords and abide by the platform’s recommendations for strong and weak passwords.
Regularly reviewing and modifying your privacy settings is another crucial step. I often keep them private so that only my friends and followers may see them.
I would also advise you to install two-factor authentication on all of your social media accounts. This adds an extra degree of protection by informing you if illegal access occurs.
3. Be Cautious of Scams and Fake News
Not everything you see on social media platforms is real that’s why you need to be cautious of scams and fake news.
I still remember when social media platforms like Facebook were developed, there were a lot of concerns about fake news. There was even a seminar in my school at that time about how to avoid Fake news on the internet.
One of the major reasons for these scams and fake news is the ease of sharing information. As you have noticed, with just a few clicks you can share an article without verifying its authenticity.
These strategies are occasionally or often employed by cybercriminals to influence your ideas or steal your information. Verifying the information’s source is the recommended course of action in this situation. Try to be dubious when it comes to the headlines and stories. Some articles have a false sense of veracity.
Always be vigilant and avoid clicking suspicious links because those links are sometimes designed to steal your personal information. If you think a page has no authority or trustworthiness, try unfollowing it or reporting the page.
4. Report Inappropriate Behavior or Content to Platform Administrators
Make a secure online community for everyone, not just yourself, as one approach to using social media responsibly. Reporting offensive information or conduct is the greatest thing you can do in this situation.
Fake news and scams can be considered inappropriate content but there is a lot more out there such as violence, nudity, and hate speech. I’ve seen these types of inappropriate content for how many years already and until now they are still present.
I’m fully aware that it’s difficult to stop this kind of behavior because we can’t control how people behave on their social media.
Do not put up with offensive conduct or material; instead, report it to the platform management so that others won’t see it. By reporting this sort of stuff, people would be held responsible for their acts and the online community would be made safer.
As users, it is our responsibility to report these kinds of content because social media platforms cannot check all the millions of pieces of content that are being posted on their platforms. Sometimes it’s difficult for them to identify if this content is inappropriate especially if it’s not in English.
5. Take Breaks from Social Media and Engage in Healthy Activities
We are so fond of spending most of our time scrolling through the feeds that we tend to forget to engage in healthy activities. What I mean by healthy activities are things we can do outside the online world.
If you’re an avid user of social media, it is important to prioritize your well-being by controlling your time on social media. Be responsible in your own time and don’t let social media consume all your attention.
It has been demonstrated several times that social media may be addicting; the only way to be accountable for this issue is to take regular pauses in order to restore control of your life. Set restrictions and focus on things that will nurture your mind and body.
I also experienced being addicted to social media and the best approach that I did was to delete the app on my phone. After how many months, I’ve noticed that I became more focused and productive in life. Instead of scrolling, I replaced it with a new habit such as reading books or taking a short walk outside.
6. Think Twice before Posting Something
I firmly advise you to consider your post before publishing it to your feed when utilizing social media. You must keep in mind that what we share on social media platforms could have an impact offline.
Most people just hit that “post” button without taking a moment to consider if their words or images might hurt others. Before you post, try to ask yourself, will my post hurt someone’s feelings or damage their reputation? If yes, don’t proceed with posting it.
I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media that get trending because they thought their post was harmless but it ended up being offensive to other people.
What happened was he received numerous angry reactions and comments. He even lost some of his friends because they weren’t happy about that post.
It is tempting to share everything that comes to your mind, but it’s very important to take a moment and reflect before you post. This would surely go a long way towards ensuring that you are using your social media responsibly and avoiding the negative consequences that might occur.
7. Understand that Social Media is not a substitute for in-person communication or genuine relationships
Social media is a valuable tool for staying in touch but we must never use it as a substitute for in-person communication or genuine relationships if possible.
It’s still important to engage with them in face-to-face conversations because it is more meaningful and the depth of your communication cannot be replicated online.
In my experience, I thought social media is a terrific alternative for in-person connection, but the thrill of spending time with them in person is still extremely different. I desire this enriching experience from them that I cannot have online.
We must thus learn to find a balance between online and offline connections. If you have a busy schedule as of now, it’s totally fine to use social media as a way of communicating. But, never attempt to substitute the value of real connections with the online conversation.
Facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and touch can’t be achieved through online communication. These are things that add a whole new level to your communication and improve your relationship with each other.
8. Use Social Media to Promote Positivity and Growth
We have seen that social media has the ability to impact nearly anything on our planet in the current digital era. We have experienced the many advantages it provided for us.
But at the same time, it has also contributed to negativity. Each user must utilize social media as a tool to encourage growth and positivism.
The greatest approach to using social media, which has a broad audience, is to encourage others to improve and be positive. We may accomplish this through inspiring others, spreading encouraging words, and sharing encouraging information.
These seemingly insignificant deeds have a significant impact online since we can never know when we might inspire someone else who is going through a difficult time.
Every time I scroll through my feed, I always love to share inspiring quotes because I know I can motivate others in this way. There are people who love to react and also comment on my shared posts. This is a reminder for me that I must continue what I’m doing.
9. Be Careful Not to Spread False Information
I can’t stress this enough because I’ve seen a lot of people on social media who love to spread false information. I know scams and fake news can be hard to identify sometimes but it’s crucial for us users to fact-check what we are sharing on our feed.
There’s a ton of information online that’s why it’s easy for us to spread fake news easily without thinking of the consequences that other users would also believe on what you shared. To be a responsible social media user, we need to have an idea what’s the difference between a credible source or not.
I’ve seen a lot of people spread false information during the peak of the Covid Pandemic. There was a post circulating that the Covid vaccine can turn us into zombies even though there was no evidence to support this claim. But still, some people shared the post.
That post created panic among thousands of people and some were hesitant to take the vaccine. This matter affected public health and safety that’s why we must always be careful not to spread false information.
Final Thoughts
In this post, I’ve provided you with 9 ways on how to use social media responsibly and I hope you learned a lot of things. But remember, the real value of learning is putting everything into action. When you apply the tips that I’ve given, you are already creating a safe and supportive online environment.
