How to Avoid Language Abuse on Social Media?
STEP - 2
Avoid Using Abusive Language
In this step, you will know:
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How to avoid the use of abusive language?
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What can you do to stop using abusive language?
Do you want to make sure your social media presence is respectful and inclusive?
Learning how to avoid language abuse is the key to creating a positive online environment.
Here are some tips on how to avoid language abuse in social media and ensure your posts are kind and considerate.
01-Identify the Abuse
Figure out what’s happening to you. If you’re being critiqued or insulted, you can choose to refute it or let it go. But if you’re being abused, naming what you’re experiencing not only signals that it’s a tangible problem, but can also help you communicate with allies, employers, and law enforcement.
02-Document the Abuse
Keep in mind that if you report online abuse that violates a platform’s terms of service and succeed in getting it taken down, you could lose valuable evidence. That’s why it’s critical to document abuse before reporting it. Save emails, voicemails, and texts. Take screenshots on social media and copy direct links whenever possible.
03-Assess Your Safety
Run through some key questions to help you assess the abuse, ideally with a close friend or colleague as a sounding board:
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Do you know your abuser, and do they have a history of erratic or violent behavior?
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Is the threat directed and specific? Does it include your name, a time, a place, or a method of attack?
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Does the abuser seem irrational, for example, threatening you using their real name, email, or phone number?
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Has the abuser migrated across platforms or moved offline (e.g., voicemails, physical mail, or packages left at your door or workplace)?
04-Block, Mute, Report
Blocking, muting, and reporting abuse on social media platforms are each distinct actions. You can block accounts (so they cannot communicate with or follow you), and you can sometimes mute accounts or even specific posts or words (so you don’t have to see them). You can report abuse that violates terms of service to try to get a post taken down or an account suspended.
Enlisting allies can help: Trusted friends or colleagues can keep tabs on your mentions while you’re blocking and muting, inform you of any escalation or threats, and report with and for you.
05-Bolster Your Cybersecurity
To protect yourself from hacking and impersonation, start by practicing password hygiene: use long passwords (ideally a string of words and symbols with at least 16 characters), never re-use passwords, invent answers to security questions, and set up two-factor authentication on your key personal and professional accounts (email, social media, banking, etc.). If you’re wondering how you’re going to keep track of all that, consider getting a password manager.
06-Enlist Allies
Seek support from friends, family, and colleagues, and deploy your wider cyber community to serve as allies. Because not everyone is equally well-versed in what online abuse is, prepare yourself for these conversations by bringing documentation, emphasizing the impact the abuse has had on your livelihood, and being clear about whether you’re asking for a listening ear or specific assistance — like helping you report, document, or assess your safety.
07-Speak Out
Speaking out against can also be profoundly empowering. The key is to be careful and deliberate as you decide what will work for you. One way to do this is to practice counterspeech without directly confronting your abuser. Counterspeech could involve forcefully denouncing harassment and hate, defending your reputation, reclaiming an abusive symbol or hashtag, fact-checking disinformation, and enlisting the support of your allies or employer. Basically, do what feels right for you — but be mindful of your employer’s social media policy, and avoid resorting to abuse yourself.
08-Practice Self-Care
Remember, this is not your fault. Online abuse can elicit feelings of fear and shame. It is exhausting and demoralizing. It can do real and lasting damage to your mental, emotional, and physical health. Resist the urge to ignore how you’re feeling, and remember that people can be affected differently depending on their race, gender, sexuality, and experience. Make time for self-care. This can include anything from meditation or cooking to listening to music or going for walks. Whatever you choose, it must involve taking regular breaks from your devices.
Seeking professional mental health care can also make a big difference, especially if you get to a point where you feel hopeless or paralyzed by fear, talk about your abuse obsessively, struggle to enjoy things, or have difficulty eating or sleeping.
You don’t have to follow each and every step listed above,
let alone in order.
In fact,you may end up doing a bunch of these things at the same time,
or skipping some and coming back to others when they are most helpful.
After learning these tips, please join our FORUM and share your opinions.
WANT TO SEE MORE?
You can take a look at these videos and links below to help you better understand how to avoid language abuse.
References
1. Vilk, V. (2020, June 3). You’re Not Powerless in the Face of Online Harassment. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/06/youre-not-powerless-in-the-face-of-online-harassment
2. Defining “Online Abuse”: A Glossary of Terms: https://onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org/defining-online-harassment-a-glossary-of-terms/