Social Media Handbook...The Other Hand
Dangers of social media and what measures are out there to protect people
Lets talk about privacy
What issues are there?
Social media is a space that offers so much potential for individuals and businesses alike but these benefits come at a price. The right of privacy. When you upload something on to a public social media platform you have technically granted the entire world access. You need to be satisfied with complete strangers viewing this content. This is why you should never upload
1. Bank details
2. Addresses
3. Personal information
under any circumstances.
When it comes to image sharing, think who might see it. If it's a picture of you enjoying a night out, you wouldn't send that to your employer so don't upload it publicly. Ultimately It looks unprofessional and could be used against you. In addition be wary of what is actually visible in an image. Is there a street sign in the background? A weekly calendar? Car registration? School uniform with a logo? All these could be used by people to invade your privacy. Never post content that could be deemed as hateful, discriminatory or innapropiate. Treat the internet as a place to showcase your best self and respect others by using proper 'netiquette'. Netiquette is a term that refers to the way one should conduct themselves on the internet. Basic principles include:
Don't do anything you wouldn't do in person
Don't spread misinformation
Keep your language positive and appropriate
Don't engage in disorderly behaviour
Don't incite crime
Furthermore, social media isn't all about posting. Social media refers to the online world of information and content and privacy concerns are still prevalent if you never post. Let's refer to the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal as a prime example. Founded in 2013 Cambridge Analytica was a data analysis firm.
However let's rewind a little, this incident starts in 2014 with a Cambridge university professor called Dr. Aleksandr Kogan who released an app called "thisisyourdigitallife" which required users to sign in to create an account with their Facebook login. This wasn't against the rules and was not the first app to utilise this feature. It allowed for easier and quicker access making it a popular option for people. Unfortunately by doing such you agree to share your data that currently belongs to Facebook to a whole other organisation but alas you agreed to it so it's on you. Problems starting arising when Facebook allowed developers to collect some information on the friend network of these accounts. This meant that people who didn't directly consent to sharing their data were being exploited without them even knowing. Out of the 270,000 people who willingly opted to share their data Kogan was able to access data belonging to approximately 50 million Facebook users. This data could include information surrounding where you live, your interests and any photos you may have uploaded. This was all still allowed under Facebooks guidelines. Things got messy when Kogan shared this data with Cambridge Analytica who provided data-driven services to political campaigns. They used this data to match users to other records and build psychographic profiles which ultimately aided the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Facebook claims that Kogan went against the company's terms of service by transferring this data and this breach was not an oversight caused by them, thus sustaining the opinion that your data is safe with them but can you really trust that?
What can you do to help?
There are steps you can take that increase your level of data protection and privacy when using social media and these include:
1. creating a strong password and not reusing it on multiple sites
2. making your profile private so only approved people can view it
3. restricting comments or turning them off all together
4. reporting any suspicious activity
5. don't accept friend requests from strangers
6. don't click on external links
7. don't share out your login details
7. stay off public WiFi unless you have a VPN
Harmful content
Just like in the real world not everyone has good intentions online. Harmful, dangerous and graphic content can end up appearing on any platform. It can spiral out of control and before you know it you're knee deep in a cycle of triggering content. Whilst there's no way of eliminating the risks entirely, by not engaging with content you do not wish to see it informs the algorithm that it needs to show you content of a different nature. Some platforms have a 'not interested' or 'don't show me content like this' option so make use of that.
fake news and information
As discussed in the previous post social media can be a real asset when it comes to spreading and consuming news, because access to knowledge is power right? There is of course a dark side to this. With the instant nature of posting it's incredibly easy for anyone to share content that isn't at all credible as many platforms don't have a fact checking algorithm. News that may look and sound completely legitimate can be utterly false. The truth is we are surrounded by fake news and misinformation every time we access social media. So how do we avoid being deceived when these posts can resemble the real thing?
1. Who's posted it? Look for trusted sites like the BBC but make sure they are verified because people can easily call themselves the BBC.
2. How recent is it? Look for the date it was uploaded as the information could be outdated
3. Is it widespread? Look at prominent news outlets, have they covered this? If not it may be false
4. Check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Official sites would never include such mistakes.
What do platforms do to help?
Each platform offers different levels of monitoring. All should have
reporting functions on comments, posts and accounts
the option to block or restrict accounts, comments and in some cases types of content.
but when it comes down to what content is initially allowed to be published there's not a whole lot they can do to prevent users uploading something misleading or otherwise harmful . Different platforms have different guidelines and rules for users to follow but it's simply not possible to monitor each post individually. This is when the usage of bots comes in. These bots detect the undesired content and remove it. Platforms themselves hold the ability to suspend, ban or delete any account that breaches guidelines but they can act more efficiently if users report issues so if you see something off, report it.
What does the regulator (ofcom) do?
Ofcom, the UK's regulatory body responsible for withholding a standard of safety for all online service users in the UK. They are in charge of enforcing the Online Safety Act, once a Bill but now an Act it is against the law to breach this. It is their role to ensure regulated services take the required steps to protect their users. They don't have the ability to remove online content or investigate individual complaints but they instead use complaints as a guide to how well platforms are protecting their users. The Online Safety Act prioritises the safety of children as studies have shown the majority of children in the UK access social media regularly. Ofcom make sure platforms have age restrictions with thorough age verification checks and parental control options to keep children safer. If a platform is seen to disregard the Act then Ofcom have the ability to fine that company unto 5% of their profits or 250k depending on which is the biggest.
How can you keep your business safe online?
In the previous post the plethora of paths social media can open up for your business were discussed however, what about the other side? How do you ensure you stay on the right path and gain as much benefit as possible from social media?
If you wan't your business to succeed online here are some point to remember:
Use features like tagging, chat functions, commenting and posting appropriately. Keep everything professional as you are representing your business and you need to maintain a good public image. This means avoiding topics that are controversial, keeping your personal views and opinions to yourself and treating others with respect. Only interact when it's business related and keep it concise and formal.
Make it clear when you are advertising. Not clearly disclosing when something is an advert can land your business in legal peril. This is because you are effectively deceiving your audience.
Risks in society and communities
Being online grants people with a space to form connections with people all over the world. This allows large groups of people to come together based on similar interests, or by geographical means such as villages or clubs. Whilst there are many benefits to such quick and easy communication it also allows an exclusive place for disorderly behaviour to commence. When multiple people combine it can be easy to be persuaded or coerced into acting out of character so be mindful of what groups you join. It is important to keep in mind that although you may feel close to people you shouldn't display too much of yourself as it can leave you vulnerable.
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