The digital world is now an integral part of our daily lives. This is where we share and connect with friends, family, and colleagues. Our online world has become an extension of our real lives. As much as we want to avoid it, being on social media has become part of our lives. Like anything else, this has its pros and cons. Because of that, staying safe on social media is not only a suggestion—it's a must. In this blog post, I'll share my experiences on social media safety. I hope that by trying these tips and tricks I can help you to maintain a safe online presence.
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| Photo by Plann |
We all live in the age of social media. These days we share things online and with the rest of the world that we would not have done in the past. We document our lives in a way that we never thought we would before.
I was watching a show that talked about social media that was interesting. There were questions about why people share the way that they do online. Some justified it as a form of journaling or documenting our lives. Some share that it is a way of self-promotion for one’s job, business, or career. In these times where people can monetize their lives online, that is not that much of a surprise.
As a blogger, I found that sharing things online is not only a form of self-expression. It is a way of learning about other people as well. People from different countries and cultures are sharing their lives online. It is an eye-opening experience to learn how other people have lives that are different from my own. To me, it is a reminder that it is such a big world out there and there is so much that I have yet to learn about.
While there are a lot of people who tend to look down on this, I can’t dismiss people for sharing a lot on social media. There is so much to learn from other people as we share our similarities and differences.
In this digital age, I'm sure people already know the art of sharing without oversharing. People have learned how to post a lot of things and yet people still do not know much about their personal lives. These are people who are careful about choosing what they share and how they share it. They still keep in touch through regular and frequent posts, but at the same time, they keep a lot to themselves. I admire people who can do that and I have been trying to do the same.
Here are some things that I have practiced through the years to stay safe on social media:
STAYING SAFE ONLINE
Think Before You Post
This is the most important of all. It is so easy to post anything online these days. To maintain a certain level of privacy, we need to think about what we are sharing before posting. Remember, once something is online, it's there forever. While it may be possible in some high-tech way I may not be aware of, it can be challenging to delete it completely. We are one screenshot away from a post that we could regret later.
Posting Late
Rather than posting in real time, do it later. You can still share things but post them hours, days, or even weeks later. Make sure to turn off location tagging, especially in real-time. Turn it off if not needed. That way other people do not know your exact location at any given time. It will help you stay safe and maintain your privacy.
I know this is hard because there seems to be a need to share things right away. There is a need to be the first with things. But for your safety, it is still better to delay posting, especially if it reveals your location. Your safety is still more important than social media.
Avoid Sharing Personal Information
You need to avoid sharing personal data. Sometimes we assume that we're being safe but often we're not. I've seen online personalities who can figure out personal info from online accounts. It was scary how people find out your details with a little snooping. All they need is your account and those of people you know. No matter how private you think you're being, dig a little deeper to check how much you're giving away.
Be careful of what you share
You can still post from home or work as long as there are not too many details. You can still post what you're doing as long as you don't share where you are right at that moment. This is something I have been practicing lately. It can be hard but it's better than revealing too much at any given time.
Responsible Tagging
Do not post pictures of other people unless they give permission. Do not tag them unless they ask you to. Update your settings so that people cannot tag you in photos without your permission. We all have our levels of privacy so we have to respect that. Also, posting others and tagging them could reveal things that you want to keep private.
Another thing to check is when others tag or mention you in their posts. If there is any tag that you do not like, ask them to take it down immediately. If you can adjust the settings so that you need to approve their tags, that would be better. This also goes back to how people should avoid sharing personal information.
By getting tagged in the accounts of others, you reveal more than you think. Be careful about that!
Curate
I know some people think that people are being fussy on social media when they curate their posts. They think that means that person is being fake online (and I have to admit, some are).
Still, curating your posts could help you keep a certain amount of privacy. Yes, curating helps to present a certain image online, and to some that seems fake. However, curating to regulate the kind of information you are sharing with others is a good way to stay safe. This is important for people who prefer to maintain public profiles online. I see nothing wrong with it. I admit that I do this sometimes.
There were times when I thought there was nothing wrong with posting some things online. But then looking back I realized there was a need to take it down for privacy purposes, hence the curation. It's important to have a regular review and clean-up of your social media accounts. Delete posts to maintain your privacy and remove or unfollow accounts as needed.
Keep Your Account Safe
Avoid getting your account hacked. Make sure you have a strong password. Most sites say it should be a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. It shouldn't be easy to guess. It would also be safer to add in two-factor authentication for good measure. If you don't need a public account, it's best to keep it private. It will help to make sure that only the people you trust are following you.
Be Cautious with Online Friends and Followers
Be careful of suspicious profiles. As someone with a public account, I only follow people I know and businesses I trust. I sometimes have the occasional suspicious followers, but I try not to interact with them. I give them the benefit of the doubt but as soon as I see a red flag, they are immediately blocked. I also report them if they violate the platform's guidelines.
People need to be careful of online scams involving suspicious accounts. They may message with phishing scams that can reveal personal information. This is why it is vital to keep updated on social media scams and tricks so that you can avoid them. Never reveal personal information to strangers to be safe.
Update Apps and Use Secure Wi-Fi
Do not use public Wi-Fi as much as possible. Your data is not safe in those networks. If there is no way of avoiding it, use a VPN to be safe. Remember to update your apps because they come with the latest security updates.
Those are some of the ways that I try to keep my privacy online. It's challenging to do because I have public accounts on social media. I'm still learning as I go. If anyone out there has more tips, I would love to hear about them! I hope that we can all be able to enjoy social media and be as safe as possible!
Let me end this post by sharing an episode of the Fandesals Podcast. In this episode, the Fandesals share a bit more about themselves. Since we are on the topic of what we are willing to share online, I thought this would be a good episode to share. Watch or listen in if you can understand Tagalog. I hope you enjoy it!
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