The other day my kid was looking over my shoulder when I was reading something on Facebook. I immediately turned off the device and when she asked why she couldn’t read, “I said, well not everything is kids appropriate”.
She got convinced but I wasn’t. I started to write down things that I should do to make social medial a better place, at least for the space I’m using, since this is the same space that she might soon be sharing.
Social media for me is a way to connect, collaborate and create a better place for everyone
1. Sharing content that can also be shared with kids as a general rule of thumb
2. When sharing content (if it’s a must) that’s not kids appropriate, then use appropriate warnings
3. Arguments to be objective not personal
4. Discussions to be issue based, with data to back up, wherever appropriate and they don’t have to become arguments
5. Listen: Listen to the other side of the argument and draw your own conclusions. Again, shouldn’t be anything personal
6. Verify: Post only information that is verifiable, from multiple sources and sometimes even directly verifying with the people on the ground. This is especially crucial at times of natural disasters (floods etc)
7. Stay away from strangers, yes this applies to online as well. A profile that doesn’t have real personal details is not a profile to be associated with.
8. Reward good behavior to discourage bad behavior (learnt from my kids school).
9. Try not to inflammatory speeches or words since they are more dangerous than even the fire themselves
10. I can apply all of the above to myself and may even suggest the same to my kids without any filtering
This is my list and may not necessarily apply to yours but please try to make your list so we can make this space more friendly
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