Fostering Kindness in the Digital World
To ensure the well-being of digital citizens we need a ‘Safety First’ approach.
As a new generation of digital citizens enters cyber space, a culture of positive cyber etiquette needs to develop too. Over the past 5 years, my team and I have met over 50,000 students across 120 Indian cities to give workshops on digital safety and cyber well-being. Our goal with these workshops is to promote online safety practices that can positively influence how people interact with each other online and build a safe digital world.
Think before you share: Digital platforms empower people to greatly influence how someone feels or believes with just a few words. We urge people to think before they share/comment/react to anything on digital platforms; because with great power, comes great responsibility.
Be positive: We encourage people to develop the habit of being positive, both online and offline. To ensure their well-being, we want digital citizens to create and promote positive interactions on digital platforms.
You are awesome: Life can be tough if you pretend to be someone else. Every component of our workshop celebrates uniqueness. It is our way of ensuring we use digital spaces to take a stand against bullying, body shaming, sexism and other forms of discrimination.
Justice and equality for all: Discrimination against one person on a digital platform often snowballs into an attack on a whole community. We urge people to take a stand against discrimination, because the only thing that spreads faster than hate, is love.
The ever-growing digital world has given a stage to so many new voices. I hope to see many more inspiring initiatives that work towards the safety and well-being of digital citizens.
People must take a stand against discrimination, because the only thing that spreads faster than hate, is love.