Social media is an important part of our life and our presence on it matters just as much as it does physically now. Since it is a vast community, there are certain guidelines that need to be followed while using social media to maintain some sort of regulation and keep the traffic flowing peacefully, so to say.
Basic Social Media Guidelines:
- Post respectfully
- Get your facts straight
- Avoid unnecessary arguments and debates
- Avoid racism, sexism, slurs, or targeting any specific group or individual
- Avoid obscenities
Why is it necessary to adhere to social media guidelines?
- To maintain the sanctity and a healthy atmosphere in the social media community
Social media platforms have posting guidelines to help maintain the sanctity of the community. It creates a healthy atmosphere so everyone can open up with their thoughts and opinions without the fear of being judged or ridiculed and in order to maintain that atmosphere, following these guidelines is absolutely important.
- To safeguard your own digital identity
Your social media posts decide how your public digital image will shape up. In the digital world, it’s more than just first impressions. Each post of yours will strengthen the image you are trying to build until finally it will be etched in the minds of the readers. So consider the image you want to portray to the public as your posts will be viewed by hundreds including your own family, friends, employers and other people you may know.
- To avoid misguiding people
One of the guidelines of social media posting is to get your facts clear. Be sure of what you are posting and get your information only from known and reliable sources. This will help to avoid spreading misinformation. Social media posts have a strong impact on people and so if you want to let out any factual information that might affect others, make sure it is truthful and verified. For example in order to receive free TikTok followers, many social media users ask their viewers to follow certain pages or visit sites that do not guarantee followers. This is misleading and needs to be avoided.
- To save yourself from consequences of negative or problematic social media behaviour
One thing you need to remember is that there are going to be consequences to your posts, no matter what you post. One of the guidelines to adhere to religiously is to be respectful and although we don’t need to tell you why, we still are going to emphasise that disrespecting a community, person, group, etc. is not going to go well. As a social media user, (just as a human), you need to be respectful and make sure that your posts do not hurt anyone.
- To avoid turning your social media into a battlefield
Last but not the least, it is important to ensure your posts follow the guidelines and you stay within the line because it isn’t a city hall debate to pull out your guns at the slightest disagreement. The page may be yours, but it still forms a part of a community and that comes with its own share of rules and regulations. You might not agree at all with a certain incident or someone’s post or comment, but it is best to avoid arguments. Things might turn bitter and problematic for you and the other person. Social media is a world of its own just like the real world we live in and so it is imperative to be a responsible citizen there as well. Following the guidelines will ensure you have a good public image, a safe place for you viewers to express their opinions healthily and loyal bunch of followers to cater to.
