Courtesy of Walt Disney Productions

In the movie “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Ralph reaches a point near the climax of the movie where he wishes he had never used the internet to accomplish the mission he set out on – he feels the internet has caused more harm than good.  In the height of his despair, Yes, the operator of “BuzzTube” explains that the internet can cause harm, but it can also be used for good, and that he should not discount the internet because something bad happened through its use.  

I don’t know about you, but I often get frustrated with certain aspects of the internet and social media.

 At times, it is tempting to forego the use of the internet tool.  Do we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak?  Below are five tips to help you maintain the use of both the internet and social media as it was designed – as a tool.

1 – Don’t click on or “like” political ads or “news” updates. 

Unfortunately, many political ads and news updates are the playground of internet trolls.  These bits of information you see on your news feed are designed to evoke an emotional response from you, and when they do, the outcome is usually not pretty.  Not to mention the fact that many of the ads or news stories are generated from a less than reputable source.  Instead, keep social media for social use only, and turn to blogs or other web forums for political discussions.  If an item on your news feed interests you or evokes an emotional response, do a search on it using a search engine to determine its validity.  This is important – see my link to more info at the bottom of the post. 

2 – Beware how you respond to comments on social media. 

And refrain from entering into a “comment conversation” with someone you don’t know.  If a comment evokes a less than positive response from you, walk away and don’t respond – especially if you don’t know the person making the comment.  If you do know the person, call them or text them, or better yet, get together with them and have a conversation about it.

3 – The family that surfs together stays together. 

In other words, make an effort to be in the same room together when using internet devices.  This enables a few things.  First, it helps keep a parental eye on what your children are browsing or playing and helps prevent predatory internet abuse.  Second, it helps keep the adults accountable for what they are reading, seeing, and searching.

4 – Mom and Dad share passwords and have complete access to the kid’s devices. 

It should go without saying that you shouldn’t need to keep your phone, tablet, or computer password hidden from your spouse.  And, your kids should not have anything on their devices you can’t access.  Enough said.   

5 – Invest in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider, and don’t leave home without it.  

Anything you access via the cloud or WiFi can be seen by anyone, and I mean anyone – especially if the WiFi is public, such as at Starbucks.  Never check your bank account while on public WiFi, and if you need to visit a site that requires a password, ensure that your VPN is on.  Otherwise, the guy at the other end of the shop will also be able to use your password.  I use Express VPN and have been very happy with their service.  https://www.expressvpn.com

6 – Place a sacred buffer zone between waking up and using your device, and likewise, using your device and going to bed. 

What I mean is this:  Take the first few moments you wake up to grab a glass of water, take a few deep breaths, grab a cup of coffee. . . before you check your device.  Likewise, take a few moments before bed to put down the device, breathe, reflect, and look at the stars before you go to bed.  

The internet and social media are wonderful tools, and I am thankful for them.  However, we need to use them as they were intended to be used: tools.  If you can keep in mind that social media is designed to bring us together and not tear us apart, and that the internet as a whole is a tool to better our quality of life, you will no doubt wield the tool well.  

For further reading, I suggest: 

The Techwise Family – https://www.barna.com/techwise/

Like War – https://www.likewarbook.com

Best,

~Eric