It is no secret that today social networks as a source of information have a significant level of trust in the audience and exercise a great influence on our information field. But often we are faced with significant negativity and aggression in social networks.
Teenagers are especially susceptible to this since 70% of pupils and students now study remotely and spend almost all their time on social networks. They communicate online, do their homework, check in with teachers, and make friends online.
But many are exposed to cyberbullying, need college homework help, because it’s hard to get all the knowledge you need to do your work remotely, and many often get negative feedback from both teachers and those same friends.
Information security of the virtual space today needs to be handled carefully and in a balanced way.
According to global statistics, as of January 2018 of the population use the Internet – that is 22.59 million people. Of these, 79% use social networks (13 million people). Most people trust social networks.
But not all information posted online is true, useful, and psychologically safe.
Quite often social networks are not a reliable platform for receiving information, but on the contrary, contribute to the incitement of enmity, the emergence of conflicts and disputes.
Types of Negativity in Social Networks
Social media is a space where we often express our indignation about various things, from poor quality services to political issues.
This allows us not only to express our opinions, find like-minded people, supporters but also to let off steam, which turns our news feed into an endless stream of negativity. Negativity tends to be: deliberate;
Unconscious (Accidental)
It is always a manifestation of the reaction of a person or group of people to current events in their lives.
How to deal with negativity in social networks
There are several tips to help counteract negativity on social media:
Constructive Negativity
The user expresses dissatisfaction about something in an accessible way, supporting his words with facts and evidence. He’s not trying to offend you, just talking about what could be improved.
Solution:
Work on your outlook, your thoughts;
sincerely and publicly thank the person for his/her opinion;
After the conversation, it is possible to offer variants of solutions to the problem.
The important thing is that in no case you should not delete such messages. They are the ones that show users that you are imperfect. And that means you are real, not an idealized image with an inverted image.
Impulsive Negativity
This type can be associated with accumulated anger. It is caused by personalities, insults, and unwarranted criticism. It is characterized by generalized phrases and a lack of specificity.
Solution:
Wait a couple of hours for the person to “cool down” and already have time to forget about it;
Ask what happened and what the problem is. Usually, the user will respond calmly and explain the reasons for his/her dissatisfaction in a comprehensible manner.
Important: Do not attempt to have a conversation with an angry person. And do not respond to their messages in any way in the same tone as they do. Of course, if your own reputation and emotional harmony are important to you.
Ordered Negativity
The most difficult type of negativity on the Internet to work with, because it has a specific purpose, preparation, and organization. Be sure to clarify the facts – date and place, details of the situation in which employees are involved.
Competitors who commissioned the negative are easily caught in a lie, as the situation described is fictitious. Compare negative reviews with each other, the same person will write about the same thing, even from different accounts.
Pay attention to the time of appearance, their number in a certain period of time.
Solution:
Demand arguments and justifications for the criticism;
If there is no proof, you can be sure the negativity is ordered.
Public correspondence in the comments will save you from having to delete such messages.
Trolling
This kind of negativity comes from people who simply have nothing better to do. They will try every way to piss you off with provocations.
Solution:
Ignore. There is nothing worse for someone with attention deficits than ignoring their attempts to get attention;
Remove and block. This applies if the trolling goes beyond what is reasonable and the first option doesn’t work.
Ignore such aggressors. This is the only way you can control your own information field.
Conclusion
With all the discussed types of negativity, we should be aware and keen on how to handle aggression in social networks.
