Why Ugandans should use social media responsibly

By Isaac Kalembe

The abuse of social media use in Uganda has been a point of concern lately. A lot has been said about the need for managing social media in this Information Age. Social media refers to websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.  Social media tools such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, We Chat, among others, are part of our everyday life.

Social media is intended as a tool to ease communications. No wonder it has revolutionised the way we live, work and interact with others. These social media platforms have become an integral part of the daily lives of millions of Ugandans and elsewhere around the globe.

Social media has improved communication and learning. They are also a useful channel for business and social interactions, thereby giving them that cutting-edge speed and efficiency in advertising, business, trade and commerce.

However, more often than not, the social media have been abused. This has led to unintended, often negative, consequences, such as invasion of privacy, libel and defamation, abetting cybercrime, cybercrime/terrorism, cyber bullying, incitement or intrusion of privacy - just to mention a few - which have little or no cross-border jurisdiction, yet violating national laws.

More worrying, the social media behaviour of our children can be exploited by cyber criminals through "viralising" of content on various social media platforms. This information divulged can be stored forever and could be accessed by future employers, partners or spouses. 

Yet, as Ugandans, in our respective capacities, we have legal, social and ethical responsibilities to abide by the law, ethics and norms of our country and society. Citizenship is membership in a community and responsible citizens are community members that are morally, legally and mentally accountable.

Having responsible citizens results in a happy and harmonious community. Any of us will be held accountable if things you communicate on social media go wrong. As is often said, ignorance of the law is no defence in a court of law.

Therefore, it is important for us to be responsible digital citizens. This may be achieved by helping children and other Ugandans understand their rights and responsibilities, recognise the benefits and risks of their online interactions, and realise the personal and ethical implications of their actions while using social media.

It is important that we shape our digital reputation and being a responsible citizen of the communities in which we participate online. Therefore, we should:

• understand the risks faced from others as well as from your own conduct and the dangers posed by applications like viruses and phishing (using social skills to steal personal information including user names and passwords);
• adhere to community values such as caring for others, fairness, honesty, or justice while using social media, and;
  
  
• be aware of and practice appropriate and ethical behaviours in a variety of digital environments.

We should not disclose confidential information online or information that infringes on privacy of others. It is advisable that we must always act:

• within the law;
• with respect for the dignity and rights of others; irrespective of their background;
• with respect for the property of others and the proper use of - in your case - school facilities;
• with regards to the health and safety of others;
• with regard to the school's reputation, and
• with honesty.

What counts as irresponsible?

Social media responsibility calls for use of common sense. If it is hurtful, defamatory, libelous or inappropriate in the physical world, it is online too. Irresponsible behaviour can include:

• making derogatory comments about individuals or organisations, even as a joke;
• sharing confidential information about others;
• sharing sexually explicit, racist, homophobic or inflammatory material;
• flaming or trolling - deliberately provoking arguments or disruptive behaviour, and
• making allegations about others.

In social media, we should not say it to someone's face in a public place, don't say it online. Don't rely on private settings - anyone who can see your content can download it, copy it, take a screen shot and then share it publicly.

Be mindful of your digital footprint - the data trail left by your interactions in the digital world. It's a public record of

• what you said
• what was said about you;
• what you liked, retweeted or shared, and
• where you are or have been.

This information is often used for marketing purposes and employer checks. It also makes it very easy for others to gather information on you in order to impersonate or commit fraud.

Less public as it might be, but something you need to remember is that there's always a record of what you have clicked on; what you have searched for; and your IP (Internet Protocol) address.

It is important that you develop your social media strategy by making your conscious decision about the way you portray yourself. This will help you portray yourself, which will help decide what your digital footprint looks like.

You may want to:

• think about what you want your social media say about you;
• consider what you want to achieve and which tools would be best for the job;
• keep your personal and professional identities separate;
• check security settings regularly;
• communicate positively, not negatively;
• choose quality over quantity;
• Google yourself regularly, and;
• untag yourself from photos or posts that could show you in a negative way.

Make sure you don't:

• use social media to complain or vent frustrations;
• share personal pictures or information that will reflect badly on you;
• announce when you are on holiday (and leaving your home empty);
• express concerns about others, even if you think you are anonymous;
• connect with people you do not personally know, or at least without there being a purpose for the connection, and;
• forget to log out of shared machines.

With a few steps, you can decide how others see you in the digital world - and protect your personal information. Here's how:

On Facebook

• use settings that determine who sees your posts;
• set your timeline so only friends can see it;
• avoid making individual posts visible to "friends of friends" and "public";
• don't share any personal details;
• remember, everyone may see which pages you like, so take care, and if in doubt - unlike, and;
• functionality and private settings often change, so check them regularly.

On Twitter

• Consider your audience and your profile. You might want to use one account for professional or academic use, and another for informal and personal use;
• name accounts intelligently;
• monitor your followers list regularly, and;
• think before you tweet, and remember that you can make your account private.

On LinkedIn

• remember it is a professional environment;
• don't link to personal Facebook or Twitter accounts without good reason, and;
• set your profile to private until you're ready to share it - it'll be public by default.

Whichever social media tool you  are using, think about your privacy (remember, "private" settings don't prevent content being downloaded) and about how your use of social media makes you appear to others.

All said, the social media can cause lasting damage to you and others. An irresponsible online communication can damage your own reputation and that of others. As a result, you may be punished, sued and prosecuted. Therefore, it's important to use social media responsibly.

The writer is the Senior Public Relations Officer of the Uganda Communications Commission