If you’re not already aware, we are living in an age where everything is available at our fingertips. News, entertainment, music, etc. - with just the push of a button it’s all there. However, with this newfound freedom comes a price that I’m sure you’re already aware of. What we say online is usually different, sometimes to an extreme, than what we say in real life. Most of the warnings that we hear about online safety include never giving away your personal information, or being mindful of what it is you’re saying. But what we don’t hear about as often is how your personality itself can change.
Let’s say that you’re on an app that connects you to other people (your friends, family, even strangers), and you suddenly see something that interests you. Immediately you feel the need to comment something, right then. The world must know about what you have to say. So, you type a quick comment. Soon, you get a reply and are suddenly having a conversation on a topic that you, in fact, don’t really know much about. So what do you do? Keep having the conversation? It seems as though there’s no other choice. You can’t just log off and leave people hanging. So you keep talking, thinking it doesn’t matter. Who cares if you’re wrong?
This very well might not be you. But the truth is, some people just feel the need to talk, so, knowing that they’ll never actually meet the person they’re talking to and knowing they’re not going to have to actually face the consequences of giving said person misinformation, they just keep going. This is really something you need to be watchful of. Telling other people something that isn’t true and presenting it as fact can mislead lots of people, and can also harm your reputation.
Or maybe, instead of talking off the top of your head, you speak in extremes. You might say that you hate something that you see, but really just mildly dislike it. Or perhaps you see something that makes you chuckle a bit, and then say that it was so funny that you were dying of laughter.
Exaggerating is an easy thing to do on the internet. You want people to like what you say, to agree with you. So instead of giving an honest reply, you turn your comment into something it’s not, solely for the sake of making more people agree with you. This isn’t a really terrible thing, but try to keep it real. While it’s okay to exaggerate a bit, you might end up having a real conversation when you dial it down a few notches too.
The last thing people do online is be completely silent. Now this may not sound as bad, and it isn’t a big problem, especially compared to the other things I’ve been writing about. But you do have social media to be, well, social. Don’t be so afraid to say something that it keeps you from saying anything entirely. A good thing to keep in mind when interacting with others on the internet is to say something positive, as opposed to negative. And if someone says something negative to you, try to be mature. You don’t have to reply, but if you do, make sure that you aren’t being rude or impolite. The best thing to do is just let it go. You didn’t do anything wrong, the other person did, so don’t let them bother you.
All in all, just pay attention to what exactly it is that you’re saying online. It’s quite easy to misinterpret what anyone could say when it’s written down, as you don’t have facial expressions or emphasis to guide you. So be careful, and try to assume the best. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. egar. . egar.