Social media always reminds me of an amusement park. You’re overwhelmed with excitement when you first arrive; running around trying to see everything and deciding which ride you’ll go on first. This is a happy place but can also be very scary. A place where some rides are more popular than others. A place where some people prefer to take a back seat and others prefer to join the fun, regardless of their age.
I recently decided to scroll through my Instagram profile and study the analytics (as I always do). I noticed that one of my pictures – a bikini picture to be specific, had a total of 14 saves! Now if this was a picture of an inspirational quote or a bowl of soup with the recipe in the captions I could understand why people would want to save this post. But the more I thought about it, the more I struggled to come up with a single logical explanation as to why anyone would possibly want to save that post. Needless to say, I felt very uncomfortable and it made me rethink my own personal safety on social media.
53.6% of the world’s population – which is equivalent to 4.48 billion people, use social media. Personally, I think the percentage would be higher if adults would admit that they secretly have TikTok accounts. The statistics also indicate that the average daily usage is 2 hours and 25 minutes. Why does this matter? It means a lot of people are on social media and for quite a long period of time. Therefore, our social media safety is something we cannot take lightly.
8 Ways to stay safe on Social Media:
1. Be careful what you post on social media
Be careful what you post on social media, be it your workplace, your husband or even a bikini picture. You might be showing off your out-of-the-box Audi that you bought yourself as a birthday present, however, this is subconsciously showing off your wealth which might make you a target for others. Perhaps you posted a bikini picture to show off your weight-loss journey, not knowing that your future employers might come across it later. There are endless cons when it comes to what exactly we post on social media.
2. Check you privacy settings
If you’re not trying to be an influencer and just use social media as an online photo gallery, then perhaps you should consider changing your profile to private. This option gives you the authority to decide who gets to see your content, so there’ll be no need to worry about that crazy ex-boyfriend trying to stalk you – he won’t find much.
3. Don’t overshare
This one is for all the moms: avoid oversharing pictures and information about your children. Yes, they look adorable on the first day of big school in their oversized uniform but posting your kids on social media can be dangerous as predators now know their names, the sports they play and even their current favourite cartoon. If you’re a super proud mom and want to show off your mini-me, ensure that all personal information is covered, e.g. your child’s school badge on their uniform.
4. Delay posting
Never post anything in real-time. Let’s say you visited that trending new restaurant that just opened and you want to show all your followers the delicious meal you just ate. Try to post your pictures or stories only after you’ve left the restaurant. Therefore, if you do happen to have a crazy stalker who decides to follow your every move, he/she will visit the restaurant to no avail. In addition, try not to add the geotag in real-time. Go back to your post the next day or even the day after and add your geotag then. Sometimes it’s best to not geotag at all, especially when you’re away on vacation. This informs people that you’re away from home and could lead to break-ins.
5. Never geotag your home
In the age where we try to use any strategy to get more likes, geotagging has become a must to increase those likes. But in some instances, it’s best to omit this part, especially when taking that bathroom selfie. Do not tag where you live. ‘Westville/ Somerset West’ might seem broad enough, but when using that information along with everything else on your profile, it becomes easier and easier to pinpoint exactly who and where you are.
6. Beware of catfishing
The Cambridge Dictionary defines catfishing as “the practice of pretending on social media to be someone different, in order to trick or attract another person.” No, this is not just a cool show on MTV but something that seems to be happening more often than you think. Surprisingly, according to Review42, more men are being catfished than women. However, ladies, this does not mean we should let our guard down. If he seems ‘too perfect’ or you’re thinking ‘this seems too-good-to-be-true’, it probably is. Be aware of common catfishing tactics, such as always making excuses as to why they cannot meet up or even video call you or telling you sob stories in the hopes that you would give them money.
7. Reconsider going live on social media
This is something you might want to rethink a few times before actually hitting that large ‘LIVE’ button on any social media platform. For the sake of this article, I recently ventured into the world of going live on TikTok. I did this a total of 3 times to date – in which time I’ve gained 183 new followers (not including the additional followers outside of being live). However, this also had its downside. TikTok ‘lives’ are generally used as Q&As for you to get to know your favourite TikTok-er. So, needless to say, there were some invasive questions being asked. Apart from my age, a common question I got asked was ‘where do you live?’ Those on the ‘live’ were not too happy with me just saying the city, but were quite understanding when I explained that I wouldn’t go into detail as a safety precaution. But regardless, never say where you live or give out any personal information or anything else you feel uncomfortable sharing.
8. Protect your mental health
And lastly, always protect your mental health. Social media is a great tool to stay connected to old high school friends or family, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, social media has also caused a large influx in mental health issues, especially amongst teenage girls. I personally take one week per month to stay off social media and do a detox – something you might want to consider. If a week is too long, maybe try it for one day per week or whatever suits you best. Of course, it’s all about self-discipline. While you’re offline, you can use this time to find a new hobby or focus your attention elsewhere. This is also the perfect time for some self-care.
Like the old saying goes: ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’, and likewise with the internet, ‘Whatever you post on the internet, stays on the internet’. That being said, always think and rethink before hitting that post button.
Stay safe and happy posting!
