Internet Safety Tips
Due to many learning experiences over the years, I decided to make a list of safety tips I feel are important for anyone to use on the Internet, especially in fandoms. I hope these can be of help and use to you.
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Never give out personal information about yourself, including your real name, phone number, addresses, personal pictures (such as of your face and living space), and even government ID. Do not list whatever conditions you may possess, physical or mental; others who mean you harm may use that to their advantage.
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Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for all accounts. Write passwords down on real paper and keep them in a safe place where they won't be lost or found by anyone but you. Be wary of all websites and links; always check the url and domain before entering passwords and other sensitive information.
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Use your block button on all social medias and curate your own positive Internet and fandom experience. Never bully, harass, or make callout posts towards any individual, regardless of opinion on them and/or their creations. In the case of a real criminal, NONE of this will get them in actual trouble. Do not continue cycles of abuse and bigotry; you will see things you dislike online; that is the very nature of the Internet, but that doesn't mean lashing out at others. That is not the way to fix the world we all live in.
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My last tip may be controversial, but I firmly believe that purity culture in fandom is not a good thing. It is heavily associated with the tip above, and has been extremely prominent within the Warriors community for several years. I even fell for it at one point myself, and I regret the actions I took in that miserable mindset. All of this compelled me to eventually make this list. I have some resources for you on this complicated topic, so I hope you'll give at least one of them a read:
Resource 1 • Resource 2 • Resource 3
If you've made it this far and even chose to thoroughly read a resource or two, thank you and have a great one! :)
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