Conflict Resolution in Social Media Arguments

Why people argue online -Not knowing the context of a post -Not being able to read social cues from a text -Not knowing the other person and their intentions -Feeling safe from repercussions behind anonymity -Triggering each other’s biases -Expecting to change others’ views -Unloading emotional frustrations -Looking for attention and drama What to do if you find yourself in a conflict Don’t waste your time and energy -Don’t feed the bots, trolls and fake accounts -Ignore deliberately offensive content looking for a hostile fight Have the right mindset -Don’t rush to reply to emotionally charged posts and messages -Make it into a respectful conversation -Acknowledge to yourself: nobody wins a conversation -Discuss based on evidence and information with reliable resources Be welcoming -Make the other person know that your intention is not to attack -Ask questions, try to understand rather than to change their mind -Don’t judge, give constructive criticism -Don’t accuse, use ‘I’ statements Do no harm -Don’t resort to name callings, insults, and slurs – ever -Don’t call out others to lynch the other person -Use humor to reduce the tension but don’t ridicule the other person Shine a positive light -Accentuate the commonalities -Appreciate their contribution to the discussion -Acknowledge and apologize for your wrongdoings Protect yourself -Take the conversation to the private channels of communication -Mute and stop responding if the other person derails the discussion -Block the other person if they start harassing you -Don’t respond to threats of violence -Report hate speech and threats How to prevent an incident *Make your profiles private to reduce your engagement with strangers *Limit who can see your more personal posts even among your followers *Keep your interpersonal challenges and complaints out of the public eye *Save your dark humor to the privacy of your friends, and family *Be skeptical of the accuracy of the content you intend to repost *Specify it if you don’t agree with the opinions you are reposting *Be mindful of opposing views of others’ *Don’t try to impose your views on others *Delete your posts that include your previous ideas that you no longer support *Before sharing a post -Ask yourself if your message could be received in a negative light even if it is not your intention. -Consider what your current and future employers, teachers, professors, acquaintances, family and friends would think of it. -Put effort not to hurt others if you are sharing your ideas on a controversial issue or other lifestyles. References How to handle a social media fight, https://www.creativelive.com/blog/how-to-handle-social-media-fight/ Why people fight online, https://www.barna.com/research/people-fight-online/