Tag: social media

Shamima Nasrin / September 8, 2015

Dangers to be aware of on Social Network Sites

The internet without a doubt is one of mankind’s greatest innovation. It’s not only making our life more easier but it also helps us a lot to connect with people and it also helps to boost economies around the World. Social networking sites play a very vital role in connecting humans with each other all over the world. These sites make communication much easier and less time consuming.

The downfall, however, is that we can’t deny that these social sites have became a platform for cyber bullying and sexual harassment as well.So,there are some dangers to be aware of on social network sites.

 

Facebook, the most popular social network site is very popular for social media and making people aware of all types of information and issues globally. As with anything in life, something great can also be misused showcasing the worst of human behaviors. The most extreme form of abuse found on social sites in recent times is called cyber bullying. Sadly, cyber bullying has been a known cause of  many teenagers committing suicide or even murder. Inappropriate comments or behaviours on social sites can victimize vulnerable or sensitive people. Politicians, super stars, teenagers to adults can all be the targets of cyber bullying and abuse.

The worst of human nature is seen and made very public in the forms of pornography and inappropriate pictures as well as bad and filthy language and comments on many facebook pages and profiles. People are free to express themselves as freely as they like without any restrictions or boundaries. Fake accounts are easy to open. Innocent victims are targeted. Young people are exposed to inappropriate information and images accepting it all part of the social norm.

Harassing woman is another major concern on social sites. It is never appreciable in human society. Young teenage girls in particular need to take more caution while using these sites. Girls should filter their friend list and remove the ones that are unknown and less trustworthy. Personal information and pictures should not be visible to all. People in general should take care of uploading personal pictures of themselves or their family and friends. It’s very easy for anyone to take a hold of your personal pictures and information and misuse it.

Above all, people should not hesitate to report any type of abuse or suspicious activity they experience or witness on social sites. With the increase of identity fraud and cyber bullying in the World, take caution of how you behave and share your information online.

Teronga Exclusive / January 30, 2015

The Golden Rules of Social Media

Addiction to Facebook and Twitter is a growing social phenomenon. Sometimes the addictions become out of control and you start making decisions that are not so wise. You also start displaying behaviors that could work against you. Before you get caught up in a dangerous trap, read these Golden Rules to ensure you maintain a balanced and healthy attitude when it comes to Social Media behaviors.

1. Be in Control

  • Think carefully about what you are going to share and who you’re going to connect with, and how much time you are going to spend on it.
  • Have a strategy in place if someone is negative or makes you feel uncomfortable.
  • On Facebook you can choose to hide unwelcome posts from your news stream. You can also ‘unfriend’ and/or block contacts (they will not be able to see your profile, and you will not be visible to them when they search for you or look at friend lists).
  • On Twitter you can ‘unfollow’ contacts, block them and/or report them for spamming.

2. Act respectful

  • Think very carefully before posting other people’s personal information.
  • Never discuss private or sensitive information on Twitter or Facebook but rather message others directly and privately.
  • On Facebook, don’t tag friends in photos unless they have told you they are okay with it.
  • If you share information on Twitter by ‘retweeting’ and the same on Facebook, always acknowledge the source.

3. Be positive

  • Talk about fun, interesting and quirky things that are in your life, and ask questions.
  • Share helpful and interesting tips and information.
  • Connect with people that have similar interests. On Twitter, for example, you can do this by searching for people by geographical area, using hash tags (words that have ‘#’ immediately before them, which signal that they are a keyword) or by looking at the people in the lists of the people you follow.
  • If you like what people are sharing, take the time to let them know. On Facebook, ‘like’ people’s status updates and comments, and when you mention someone, tag them (by using the ‘@’ symbol followed by their name) so they will get a notification. On Twitter, you can retweet a post to share it and you can reply to people to make a comment.

4. Protect yourself

  • Don’t share too much personal information online, for example where you’re located. Remember that everything you post on Twitter is public. Also, be aware that identity theft is a growing problem.
  • Talk to friends and family about how to use the sites safely.
  • In Facebook, assign your contacts to different lists to control what they can and cannot see (for example, family, business, acquaintances). Be on the lookout for when Facebook changes the default privacy settings and make the time to find out what it means for you.