Introduction
We all have social media, aren’t we? In some shape or form, we might be doom-scrolling on TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. We post on these platforms to show a part of ourselves that we want the world to see. For the most part, it was harmless. But sometimes it is important to know when too much of something harmless can actually become harmful.
This post was inspired on a problem I encountered while I was building this blog. When I decided to write online, I thereby agree to allocate a fair share of my life for others to read. It made me realize about how vulnerable I am, in case some ‘bad’ people want to harass or stalk me online. So, I suddenly went into ‘stealth mode’, deactivated all my socials for a fear of something bad might happen.
Toxic Social Media
But that wasn’t the only thing that motivates me. Lately, I’ve noticed more and more circulation of toxic news and attacks online. Gender wars are rampant, people criticize the most miniscule mistakes for the sake of likes, and political debate became so malicious that people judge others too harshly only based on the political party that they support (spoiler: everything on Threads). People need to realize that our online presence only paints a small picture of ourselves, not reflecting how good or bad the person actually are.
There are many reasons for this unbearable toxicity. Behind screens, our mind fail to register facial impressions, voice tone or bodily gesture. These are important components to trigger a feeling of sympathy, as in real life we would care for others that is showing emotions of sadness, crying, or even overwhelmed. Sympathy put a limit on ourselves: it prevents us from hurting others, and subconsciously encourage us to offer for help. Without this key element, we tend to treat others more harshly, which in turns gives opportunity to cyberbullying, criticisms and personal attacks.
Next, online platforms give us the possibility to connect with others 24/7, anywhere and anytime. Although this is good, it comes with a cost. Traditionally, humans can only connect with each others through social gatherings, face-to-face meet-ups and such. This physical distance serve as a ‘natural privacy barrier’, protecting us from unwanted judgements and gossips of our daily lives. Social media has ripped this away and caused a lot of unwanted presence. Strangers, or worse our ‘friends’ are recording us for uploads and shares. Wars, crimes and personal household problems became sensational news. If we keep on consuming this hostile atmosphere, we will unknowingly drain our own mental health.
Steps for Protecting Ourselves Online
There are better ways to protect ourselves. For example, we can limit the kind of content or posts we share online. I’ve done this mistake myself in the past, as the line is kind of blurry about what we should or shouldn’t share. For me, personal problems, contacts or my home address is a big no, as it invites for unwanted audiences. I also want to limit the details of my family members, colleagues, and friends online. For others who breached my personal space for illegal recording, I wouldn’t hesitate to take lawful action.
I also limit my exposure from social media. I either deactivate, uninstall or hide my apps so that it is harder to access to avoid doom-scrolling. If I absolutely need to, I would use guest or second account so that the feed aren’t personalized and isn’t as addictive. I also searched for other hobbies such as reading, playing an instrument or writing to fill my free time instead.
As for this blog, I will make some adjustments. I considered to use a pen name, but I find it too hard and unauthentic to relate with my audiences. Therefore, I would like to use my real name, but I would get rid of some of my social links. There are some sensitive posts that I will unpublish (actually it was never published, as at the time of writing, this site is still in development). For the pictures I use on this site, I limit the pictures to only myself and other pictures I deemed insensitive. As for the personal details, I make it as short and minimal as possible to avoid oversharing.
Final Remarks
I hope that this post would help guide others on how to interact with social media and deciding what is considered safe to share online. As a personal blogger myself, privacy will be my upmost priority either for myself or my viewers. To ensure a safe space between us, I encourage you to take the first step to create a safer and better online experience and society as a whole.