How To Avoid Looking Clueless

            The most recent reading in my social media principles class from The Art of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick, was titled “How To Avoid Looking Clueless.” I saw this and thought, “Perfect! This is exactly what I need to know!” because a lot of the time, I still feel clueless when it comes to social media, how best to use it, and all the latest updates and trends. However, I was surprised when I read, that this chapter had some specific dos and don’ts when it comes to internet etiquette, but from my perspective, a lot of it had to do with simply being respectful to yourself and others.

            For a lot of people (and I am one of them), there’s this anxiety around the internet because whatever you put out there, everyone can see and it never goes away. Now, there are some instances where this is not true; there are privacy settings, especially on social media. But still, the fear is there. This causes a lot of people to consider very carefully what they end up posting online, in order to put the best versions of themselves out there.

However for others, this awareness doesn’t always cross their mind. It’s common for most people to have something they wish they hadn’t posted online every once and a while. But there are also people who seem to not give any thought to what they put out there; meaning people who flood the internet with negativity, even being outright offensive or mean. I can understand how for some people, it might be a release. It makes them feel powerful to be able to say whatever they want and receive no immediate backlash because they are behind a screen. But again, if you’re not careful, that can be floating around on the internet forever and come back to haunt you when you’re older and wiser.  

In the chapter, “How To Avoid Looking Clueless” the writers stress how important it is to put your best foot forward online. Their first tip: don’t be disrespectful. Imagine if everyone just followed that rule! How much happier a place the internet and the world would be. I believe that the internet is a place where everyone should be able to express their opinion, within reason. There’s a difference between intelligently stating your opinion, and just being unnecessarily negative or mean. I believe there’s also a way to speak out without excessively whining or complaining, which is also one of the big no-nos from the book.

The one thing I wonder about is what the authors of the book would say about speaking out about something online that might not be positive, but that you feel passionate about commenting on in order to spark positivity or change. There are negative things in the world that are worth speaking out about. I think we see now more then ever, speaking out on social media is a way that we can bring positive change, like with #hearherharvard, which I wrote about in my last blog post. I don’t think I would consider that “complaining.” Women are calling light to a negative issue, but they do this by either intelligently expressing why it is problematic, or sharing how sororities have positively influenced their life and should be valued.

How do you walk the fine line of avoiding being disrespectful and complaining when you speak out against a negative issue on social media?