Monday, April 13, 2020

ways to be better at the internet






Albert Tercero


If you’re not scared about the personal data you leave behind you as you travel the internet, you haven’t been paying attention.

I was scared, but I learned this year that I wasn’t scared nearly enough. Inspired by this wonderfully insightful — and low-key terrifying — story about consumer data by my colleague Kashmir Hill, I went deeper than I had been, and I did not like what I found.

But it’s not all terrifying surveillance and data theft. This year we also learned how to mind our manners online, clean up after ourselves, tighten up our security and more.


It’s no secret that we’re being tracked everywhere online. We all know this; every one of us has a story about an alarmingly specific ad appearing on Facebook, or a directly targeted Amazon promo following us around the internet. But as internet-connect devices become more prevalent in our everyday lives — think smart TVs, smart speakers and smart refrigerators, for example — and as our reliance on smartphones increases, we’re just creating so much more data than we used to. Read more >>


Google and Facebook collect information about us and then sell that data to advertisers. Websites deposit invisible “cookies” onto our computers and then record where we go online. Even our own government has been known to track us.


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When it comes to digital privacy, it’s easy to feel hopeless. We’re mere mortals! We’re minuscule molecules in their machines! What power do we possibly have to fight back? Read more >>


As more of our lives moves online, good digital etiquette is critical. Just as we judge people by their behavior IRL — in real life — so we take note when a person’s manners in the digital sphere leave something to be desired.

Studies have tried to quantify how long it takes to make a first impression, with some suggesting it could be mere milliseconds. Rupert Wesson, academy director at etiquette authority Debrett’s, cites seven seconds as the time it takes us to make a judgment about a person after meeting them — and says the same is true for online encounters. Read more >>


“We are social people, but online, we don’t have the cues to recognize and really empathize with other people, how they feel or how they’re reacting to things,” said Mike Ribble, the co-author of “The Digital Citizenship Handbook for School Leaders.” We envision the internet troll, a person who posts inflammatory, antagonizing content online, as a monster hiding behind the safety of the online world. In reality, trolls can be friends, neighbors, parents — even ourselves.


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And even if you don’t fit the definition of a troll, which is associated with a deliberate attempt to cause discord, it’s easy to find yourself wading in the murky waters of trolldom. In other words, we all have the capacity to engage in unproductive, meanspirited arguments online that don’t reflect our character in person. Read more >>


An endless debate rages on across technological society: What are you supposed to say at the end of your email? Is a cheery “Cheers” too affectedly British (unless you’re a Brit)? Is “Best” hopelessly bland? Can you simply end things, gracefully dropping off after your name until the next interaction, or do you have to list your jobs and accomplishments and vital stats after you say “Bye”? What do you really need to know when emailing another person? And, dear God, are people still actually calling one another in today’s world? (And do you have to do that, too?)

Here’s the good news: Closing your emails is much simpler than you thought. Here’s what to do. Read more >>


A direct message — DM — is a one-on-one conversation with another user hosted on a social media platform. Most of the places you spend your time online — like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and so on — offer some form of DM communication.


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“In 2019, if social media is your résumé, DM is your inbox,” said Natalie Zfat, a social media expert. You can DM just about anyone, whether you know them or not, without needing to know their contact information. And, unlike email, DMs let you know when your message has been seen. Read more >>


If we need a checkup on our health, our finances or our cars, we can find doctors, accountants or mechanics. But who checks up on our digital lives?

There’s no such thing as 10,000-mile scheduled maintenance for your hard drive or an oil change for your smartphone. You’re on your own.

Some people go years without giving their data much thought. As we start a new year, here’s one more item to wedge onto your New Year New You list: a comprehensive checkup on your own data.

Following these four steps takes some time and attention, but it’s the only sure way to avoid eventual data disaster. Read more >>

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