As a child growing up on the internet, I have been reminded time and time again to be mindful of my presence on it. From my parents to my teachers, we, those from Gen Z have always been reminded of the importance of proper netiquette and internet safety awareness. I have, as one wise user of the internet, not harbored any personal information on any of my public social media profiles that my followers or people on the internet can see. Proper netiquette is something I value very much, so I make it a point that my friends and family, especially those of the older generations are kept in check with their safety online. So far, I have not had any bad experiences regarding internet safety or netiquette as even on the internet, I am a very private person.
Proper internet safety, like most of our belongings or information, is something everyone should aspire to keep secure. We must not forget that all our actions on the internet have consequences. As digital citizens, we must also be responsible for what we do. Keep your passwords and sensitive information in one secure place, never share sensitive information with the public, and be mindful of all your interactions on social media, in real life, and anywhere else you may get to mention information you have. People should be responsible enough, whether they’re a child or an adult to never trust strangers they may meet anywhere about anything personal or related to them. Hacking, data breaches, and other mishaps happen because we do not put enough awareness or sensitivity to our internet security and follow proper netiquette.