WHAT IS A COMPUTER NETWORK?

HOW TO BE RESPONSIBLE NETIZEN?

How do you behave behind your computer or mobile devices? Well, in today’s digital world, it’s easier to harass or throw some nasty comments on a person since it doesn’t involve a face-to-face interaction. This level of connectivity has given rise to many contemporary challenges, like cyber bullying, trolling, spreading fake news, and a lot more.

Virtual world may be about having fun, but you shouldn’t forget your manners when you’re using social media and other online platforms. Every internet user has the responsibility to behave properly online. Thus in order to be a better netizen.

1. Be aware of what you post online. 
Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram are just some of the social networking sites people can join and use. It may seem to be a great way to drop off frustrations and may be fun to use, but make sure to do it responsibly. Before posting online, ask yourself if what is the tone of your post like? Is it true? Does it cause harm to someone else? Or is it worth sharing? Remember that everything you post online can put you at risk or can harm someone else. So, be a smart netizen.

2. Be careful of what you say. 
Be attentive to the fact that you won’t appear rude, insensitive, arrogant, or sly. A hastily written bad comment can cause future embarrassment and remains there forever. Hence, be polite and be more mature when interacting with your friends, followers and audience on social media.

3. Be mindful of privacy. 
In today’s digital world, it’s very easy to take screenshots of private messages and share it to the whole world. It is an improper and offensive act that is why it shouldn’t be done at all. If you also don’t want what you share privately to be shared public, avoid doing it online.

Remember the golden rule: “Do not do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you”.

4. Avoid sharing fake news. 
It is now easier for fake news to spread swiftly, especially in today’s generation wherein social networking sites becomes a trend and you can immediately share posts in just one click. Fake news can cause people to make bad decisions or can make them panic. So before sharing it, make sure you read it first and you do fact check from reliable sources.

5. Be truthful. 
Speak the truth and post only what you are sure of. Plagiarizing, piracy, unauthorized downloading or sharing of content may lead to trouble in the future. To avoid these, know the difference between free and copyrighted material as well as the need for taking responsibility of what you share online.

Many people posts risqué or disturbing pictures or statuses directed to a certain individual that he/she may or may not know. It makes them the target of criticisms and hurtful jokes. One example of this are the memes. There are some inappropriate memes being posted online that shatters that particular persons’ self-esteem. Like the one who was photographed –without her consent or knowledge- sleeping in a bus, with her mouth wide open by a total stranger. 

 

                That ‘total stranger’ took it upon himself to post the unauthorized picture online and garner the attention he ‘might be’ craving. Though it comes in both positive and negative forms. He may think that it was just a harmless prank, but he unknowingly made fun of that person.

There are times when you had that ‘spur of the moment.’ You had a fight with your parents, you had an argument with your boyfriend/ girlfriend, you failed the exam, you and your friend of 10 years got into a misunderstanding. To tame that burning anger, hated, you result to bashing them, cursing them or revealing their embarrassing experiences ONLINE- mind you, where many people can see it, can access it. Since what we are discussing about is responsible internet handling, don’t let your emotions hinder your way of thinking. Trust me, you will not like its results. Been there done that. And in the end, guilt eat me away. And as a friendly advice, I suggest you go make up with that person and don’t go near social media sites unless you make amends. 

How well do we use it?

Nowadays, too young and even too old people know how to use the internet. Usually, everyone use it for many purposes just like enjoying and playing online games which some people are addicted to and are wasting their money for, without significance. Some use the internet to find friends, for online businesses to earn money and to communicate with their loved ones in far places. Others use it to post compositions they wanted to share and express to the world. Like, every day, we’re being bombarded with our friends’ statuses about their current heartbreaks and our classmates’ tweets about the amount of requirements to be passed at the end of the quarter. These are just few of the topics that we usually see on our social media accounts.  And in fact, students, like me, use it not just to have fun but to learn more, to search and to do assignments, projects and reports needed in our studies. 

In our country, the Philippines, we have this freedom of expression; we are allowed to express or to state whatever is going on in our minds wherever and whenever… But this kind of mindset is what we shouldn’t have. “It’s okay to post whatever we like as long as we know what we’re posting and that we are responsible for it.” Will it affect a certain person? Will it be life-changing? Will it cause you trouble? Or worse, after posting it, how sure are you that you’re not disparaging anyone and not putting yourself into a huge mess?

 

As netizens, we must be conscious of what we post online. Being one of the netizens is not enough. To become a responsible netizen, you must know the responsibilities in using it and you as an individual must be responsible enough. Here are some ways on how to be a responsible netizen.