Responsible Use of Social Media PDF

## Responsible Use of Social Media ### I. Social Media and Roles in Society * **Social Media has redefined the role of journalists** * Traditional journalists stayed out of the spotlight. * Social media journalists can reach the audience directly, building a more personal presence. * T...

## Responsible Use of Social Media ### I. Social Media and Roles in Society * **Social Media has redefined the role of journalists** * Traditional journalists stayed out of the spotlight. * Social media journalists can reach the audience directly, building a more personal presence. * They can provide context to stories and issues, something that is impossible in short news reports. * **Social media makes it easier for audiences and journalists to interact** * Audience can send feedback to journalists, facilitating clarification of news reports and better understanding of issues. * Citizens can call out journalists who are not practicing responsible journalism. * However, this sometimes leads to negative commentary instead of productive discussions. * **Social media makes news and current events more accessible.** * News agencies have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube accounts, making news more widely and readily available. * People's news feeds are often overwhelmed by local and international news. * **Social media creates opportunities for citizen journalism, but it also presents risks.** * Ordinary citizens can share information with large audiences. * Citizens can become viral for sharing news quickly. * Major news networks encourage citizen journalism, which adds diversity and perspective. * There are risks of disinformation as people may disguise themselves as credible sources. * This can discredit established news agencies and spread propaganda. ### II. Responsible Use of Social Media * **Social media provides numerous benefits:** * Connects people worldwide. * Makes access to news and information easier and cheaper. * Promotes dynamic sharing of information. * **Social media also carries risks:** * Harm to privacy. * It is important to understand how to mitigate these risks through responsible use of social media. ### A. Managing Your Digital Identity * **Facebook:** * Use privacy settings to control who sees your posts. * Avoid making posts visible to "friends of friends" or "public". * Don't share personal details. * Remember that everyone can see the pages you like. * Check privacy settings regularly and make sure you are logged out of your account on other devices. * **Twitter:** * Use separate accounts for professional and personal use. * Monitor your followers list. * Be vigilant about requests for sensitive images. * Avoid pornography and sharing intimate photos and videos. * **Instagram:** * Avoid sharing intimate photos and videos. * Consider setting your account to private. * Block people who are toxic from commenting. * **LinkedIn:** * Remember that LinkedIn is a professional environment. * Don't link to personal Facebook or Twitter accounts unless there is a good reason. * Set your profile to private until you are ready to share it. * **TikTok:** * Don't overshare. * Don't allow other users to find you. * Prevent other users from interacting with you. * Make your account private. ### B. The Do's and Don'ts on Social Media * **Do's:** * Think about what you want your social media to say about you. * Consider what you want to achieve and which tools are best. * Delete social networks that are toxic and not helpful. * Keep your personal and professional identities separate. * Use different emails for professional and social accounts. * Avoid posting rants on social media that expose work-related conflicts. * Check security settings regularly. * Communicate positively, not negatively. * Choose quality over quantity. * Evaluate the posts you are sharing and make sure they are helpful, not harmful. * Learn to distinguish fake information from reliable sources. * Google yourself regularly. * Untag yourself from negative photos or posts. * Practice social media fasting from time to time. * **Don'ts:** * Don't use social media to complain or vent frustrations. * Don't discuss personal fights on social media. * Don't share personal pictures or information that reflects badly on you. * Don't announce when you are on holiday. * Don't let anyone know that your house is empty. * Avoid expressing concerns about others anonymously. * Avoid connecting with people without a purpose. * Don't forget to log out of shared machines.