Digital Technology of Today is slowly but surely bringing Different ways and means to improvise our lifestyle (professional as well as Personal). Devices are becoming smaller , cheaper and feature packed with strength. Smartphone has become integral part of our life. Using a phone was a luxury 20 years back. Today it’s a necessity and has reached all strata’s of society. People often structure their professional and personal daily lives around the use of a cellphone. Use of Social Media using smartphone has become a passion not Fashion in 2018. One can’t imagine now life without Internet.. Roti Kapda Makan Mobile ,Bijli and Bandwidth is new slogan for Survival today . For some, the Internet and social media have become inseparable. part of our day to day life. Last week a husband in Hyderabad virtually killed his own wife because she switched off Wifi Router at night thereby disabling social media chats. Is this Progress ?

No harm if it is used responsibly and only when needed. Somehow we have not really understood purpose of social media. It’s not a Daily Diary explaining to the world what you are doing. Digital World offers us a false sense of security and anonymity. Nothing is Secret or private here.

Wrong posting on social media can provide a direct route to cyberbullying/trolling and relational aggression . So one needs to be responsible while updating information on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp. These posts are not meant to be used as tools of gossip, exclusion, or embarrassment.

We need to understand that nothing is private online. Social media is not a place to showcase your daily chorus of activities. It will make you vulnerable for attracting attention of cybercriminals/terrorists as an easy target. I have read that a gang of thieves learnt that some home is easy target for burglary because all have gone for a vacation as it was posted on Facebook. Please understand that even thieves have become hi-tech and have access to same information as you and me.

Foul language, insulting messages, and inappropriate pictures are just a few examples of how one can ruin one’s reputation. If you don’t want everyone to see something, don’t publish it online.

Some useful guidelines

• Avoid posting anything mean, offensive, or embarrassing online.
• Do not accept friend requests from people you don’t know. They may be criminals/psychopaths in search of victims.
• Understand and apply strictest possible privacy settings on every app.
• Avoid participating in surveys, quizzes or questionnaires, contests or awards.

These are often ways for people to gather your private information and misuse later, Before Posting anything on social media have a Venom check.

• T – truthful
• h – helpful
• i – inspirational
• n – necessary
• k – knowledge

There are many excellent knowledge resources in cyber world to keep you informed about the latest trends. Make gathering information on these topics part of your daily routine and use it as a tool for value addition.
deepak@deepakshikarpur.com
Author is IT Entrepreneur, writer and Digital Literacy Activist.