How to be a Better Digital Citizen

Most of us would agree that “being a good citizen” is an easy way to make the world a better place, and part of our unspoken, unsigned contract with the rest of society. We count on each other to do things like be polite to strangers, pick up after ourselves in public parks, and even let another driver cut in front of us from time to time… it’s how we do our part to keep things moving along.

As the world becomes more and more digital, however, maybe it’s time for all of us to start thinking about what we can do to be better digital citizens, as well. After all, many of us “see” more people online in an average day than we ever do on the street. And, the way we treat each other on the web can make a big difference in our time, mood, and productivity.

With that in mind, here are five things I think we can do to become better digital citizens. I hope you’ll give them a try – or better yet, share some other suggestions of your own:

1. Think before you forward things. Unwanted e-mails have become a modern form of the chain letter, clogging up our inboxes and taking up too much of our time. If you have contacts on your list that you suspect might not find pictures of cats as amusing as you do, either ask them outright or trim them from your list.

2. Don’t tag others and photos without warning. So, you decide to scan all of those old pictures and post them to Facebook. That’s great, but make sure the people who are also in your photos want them going online, too, especially if they could be embarrassing. As we get older, some of us don’t want the whole world remembering the “fun” decisions we made when we were younger, especially if they could impact marriages, careers, etc.

3. Be respectful. One of the strangest things about the Internet is its tendency to bring people together in a way that is either completely anonymous, or close to it. Without the intricacies of face-to-face contact (or the risk of getting punched in the face), a lot of people are bolder and more aggressive with their opinions than they would be otherwise. We can all be a little nicer online, and a little more respectful of other people’s ideas, and the world would be a better place for it.

4. Share what’s cool. There are lots of reasons to surf the Internet, but one of the best is the possibility of coming across something really great, even though you weren’t looking for it. When you share awesome things (like recipes, jokes, or fun stories you have found), you help create that joy for someone else. Just remember what we’ve already said and don’t forward them constantly unless you’ve been invited to do so.

5. Write good reviews. There are a lot of scams and bad ideas out there, so why not award people, companies, and vendors for doing something great for you? Now more than ever, small businesses rely on positive feedback from customers to build a strong reputation and let people know that they’ll do what they say they will. Writing positive reviews lets you help the growing businesses that deserve it, while steering other customers towards the bargains and values that are out there to be found.

The world’s getting bigger, and the Internet is making it smaller at the same time. If we all practiced being better digital citizens, then imagine what we could accomplish online!



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