“The Ethics of Social Media Posting and Offering Feedback”

1. Show civility ( i.e. respect, friendship) and care when you leave a comment on someone else’s post.
2. Do not attack the person’s character; address the idea being discussed in a respectful and dignified manner.
3. Choose your word carefully and gently; the power of death is in the tongue, and it will destroy friendship and bankrupt relationships.
4. Use your post to uplift people, cultivate and strengthen friendship and relationships, encourage your audience toward resilience and self-care, and to strengthen our individual and collective striving toward human flourishing and the common good.
5. Posts or comments that do not build up individuals or the social media community should not be written at all; they may hinder the possibility to foster good and sustaining relationship and friendship.
6. Before offering a feedback on a post, make sure you read the intent of the post responsibly, think critically, and read it with care and understanding.
7. If you’re not sure about the intent of a post, ask the writer for clarification and enlightenment; do not make false assumptions and voice accusations.
8. Before offering a comment on a post, control your emotions such as anger, frustration, verbal abuse, etc.
9. Do not use the social media space to spread hatred, racism, xenophobia, sexism, and any form of verbal or intellectual violence toward an individual, an ethnic or racial group, or a particular community; in all things, acknowledge the dignity of all people by recognizing they are image bearers of God.
10. Do not verbally abuse your audience and friends through careless and irresponsible rhetoric or language.
11. It is important to know through the social media sphere, people, who may not know you personally or intimately, are allowing you in their world and space; take it as an unmerited invitation and an undeserving privilege, but as an opportunity to know each other, to make the (social media) world a better place for all, and to build better human relationships and stronger social networks.
12. Remember it is not an obligation for you to offer a comment or a feedback on every topic and even on a subject of interest.
13. Do not police your friends, especially individuals you just met via a social media platform, through social interactions and virtual interplays.
14. Do not expect for your friends and social media associates to offer a response on your most original and innovated post or feedback; some of us are still introverts and prefer to message you in private.
15. Be kind and considerate to one another when posting on a social media platform and offering feedback on a topic of interest.