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THE GOOD, THE BAD (AND THE UGLY) OF SOCIAL MEDIA

I’M RHEA FREEMAN. I’M A PR, MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT AND COACH WITH A SPECIALISM IN EQUESTRIAN AND RURAL BUSINESS. I WORK WITH A NUMBER OF THE BEST BRANDS IN THE INDUSTRY AND MANY THAT YOU’LL SEE IN THESE PAGES...

Social media has the potential to be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to how people feel about it, how they use it, and what they get out of it. There are lots of reasons why this is, and whilst we can’t avoid anything sad or negative all the time, because life for everyone has its ups and downs, we do all have the power to control what we see. Before we get into why social media can be bad (and ugly), let’s talk about the good things, because there are a lot! The ability to connect like-minded people across the globe, the ability to find new friends, start and grow businesses, learn new things – the scope that any social media platform has for all of us is straight-up amazing. The functionality that each one has provides us with the power to do things that, previously, we would have been unable to do. But, a bit like when wizards move over to the dark side (yes, I’m a Harry Potter fan), not everyone uses this power for good. Over the last twelve months particularly, there seems to have been an increase of the dark side. The spreading of misinformation (which ranges from amusing to having the potential to cost lives), inciting violence, bullying, trolling, hate campaigns, snide remarks - all of it. I’ve seen it all, and in our equestrian world too. The bullying, trolling, negativity and snide remarks can be more present in our ‘world’ than they should be. And it needs to stop. Because there’s a screen or a phone in the ‘way’, that is not an excuse for any of this. When it comes to bullying and trolling in particular, it can cost people their mental health and in some tragic cases, their lives. Even though it’s on your phone/device, it is still real life. But there are things you can do that limit your exposure to the bad and ugly side of social, while simultaneously making it a much better place to be. • Take a zero-tolerance approach to bullies and trolling. Don’t engage but do use the report button, do block, do unfollow, and if the trolling is serious then do report to the police - there’s a

Malicious Communications

Act in place. • Speak to someone. If you have been the victim of negativity, trolling or bullies, please speak to a friend or family member. • Even if someone isn’t trolling you, you are still perfectly within your rights to unfollow, mute or snooze them – on a temporary or permanent basis. If someone’s content is affecting you in any way (and this might not be their fault, but more due to your situation), use these functions.

Take the power back! • Think about who you follow.

Because someone follows you, it doesn’t mean you need to follow them back. • Spread what you want to receive. It might sound a bit woo woo but it works. If you’re negative, you’re likely to attract more of it to you. www.rheafreemanpr.co.uk Twitter (@rheafreeman) Instagram (@rheafreemanpr) Facebook (/RheaFreemanPR)