Some good tips on using social media

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers's column.

Michael Commane

Have you ever sent an email or text message in a hurry?

Before we had smartphones and internet facilities we wrote letters. We had to go looking for an envelope, find a stamp, then post it. That was a long operation. But it stopped us in our step and gave us plenty of space to think exactly what we wanted to put down on paper.

The nonsense and drivel we see on social media surely is the result of the facility of being able to fire off instantly the madness that is the result of that quick rush of blood to our brains.

Social media can be a dangerous business. I had the good fortune two weeks ago of attending a talk on the dangers of social media and how we can protect ourselves against some of its dangers.

The young man who gave the talk was excellent, articulate and well-briefed. It was in the context of my work that I was at the talk. 

I was struck with how quickly everything to do with social media is changing.

He began his talk by pointing out that just 11 years ago, 2007, a smartphone was unimaginable. When he told us that Bebo died in 2009 one could sense a feeling in the room how far we had come in such a short time. And then someone mentioned the Blackberry. Looking for a Blackberry today is something like searching for a steam kettle.

But in the midst of all the change and its speed he kept stressing that the rules for staying safe online never change.

Today in Ireland 95 per cent of children have access to the internet at home. The average age of children having a smart phone is 10.

There are 2.2 billion people on Facebook and Snapchat records 10,000 snaps per second.

Children are going online younger and for longer and according to the latest statistics one in four children are victims of cyber-bullying.

The lecturer pointed out the importance of teaching people how to communicate over the internet. In face-to-face communication it’s not just a matter of what we say but how we say it. To demonstrate his point, he wrote the following sentence on the board: ‘I never said she stole my money’. He pointed out how that sentence as a text message could have seven different meanings, which makes it so dangerous. It depends on where the stress is put to give it its specific meaning. And that’s not possible in a text message. There is little or no nuance or subtlety in social media.

There is the added dimension of anonymity, which dramatically changes everything but especially bullying.

There are some basic social media rules: if you would not say it to a person’s face then don’t put it online, if you don’t know how something works, then find out, once you put something up on the internet you lose control of it. It can’t be undone. Never reply to abusive or bullying messages and always keep a copy.

He told some harrowing stories of how people have been duped on the internet. Never make friends with strangers and never give out private details across the web.

Where is it all leading, no-one knows. But one thing is sure, be constantly on your guard when using social media. Indeed, the very term social media has now unfortunately become an oxymoron.

Remember, once you press that send button, whatever you have posted, text or picture, it’s there for ever.