Free the Internet: Why Digital Rights and Online Freedom Matter Now More Than Ever

Our Voice In A Noisy World

Yes, we live in a world that deserves our outrage. Yes, nothing ever seems to be in order. Things, people and systems are falling apart. And yes, most of us seem to acting out our impulses, often, irrationally.

When such are the state of affairs, how can you stay silent? How can you keep your calm and carry on? Right?

Ok, but does that mean we’re passive and lose all the momentum of the regular pace of live because we’re under forced quarantine? Does that mean, we should not be standing in solidarity with those who’re struggling?

Actually, sometimes, we can ALL win by some of not doing anything. Here’s how.

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I Just Came Here For The Comments Meme

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Don’t Clog Important Channels

This is how our society perceives action. It celebrates doers. If we’re not constantly doing something, we must be lazy and not motivated enough. We must not be in touch with reality, we must be too elitist. We don’t have a bone of empathy in us. Or somehow, we must be deeply self centered or callous.

But, here’s the thing.

Sometimes, especially during time of public outrage, it’s all the more important to restrain ourselves to let only those truly affected speak out. By doing that, we’re supporting them and their cause by not clogging up precious resources they need to make their voices heard.

The internet is a searchable feed that people need to find important resources or to monitor a developing situation closely. When we use trending hashtags to send messages of solidarity, we’re actually doing more harm than good.

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Make The Internet A Liveable Space

The Internet may be a cold, inhospitable place or it can be a place to engage in thoughtful, empathetic dialogue. The Internet may either be a segregated rehash of uninteresting topics or it can be a wonderfully unrestrained celebration of imagination and open-mindedness.

But, it is upto us to create a civil society even online. It requires our diligent cultivation to grow into something we can all share and preserve for the future generations. It is our choice. Our choice to understand where we might be flinging feces at or not.

Here are the top 3 things you can remember when posting things on the internet. Internet best practices:

1. Before you post, consider: Is it real? Is it required? Is it decent?
2. Act rather than react. Make deliberate decisions on when to converse and when to avoid doing so.
3. Make social media a friendlier place by performing random acts of kindness, complimenting people when they’re not expecting it, and more.

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Opt For Temporary Inaction

True freedom is when you give yourself and strangers around you a break with compassion. It is when you don’t have to constantly assure your solidarity to others by filling up streets and online walls with messages of support. It’s enough to reach out those in your circle to let them know you’re there for them.

Start with this. Turn off those ideas in your head to contribute to the outrage. Slow down enough to focus on your own life to see if you’ve taken all the steps that are taking you in a positive direction. Float your mind away on a tube in the river. Slow down to the pace of nature. Muse on reflection and self-discovery. Ponder over this, “Will the next moment be my best shot at life? Am I doing my absolute best to help the world?”

I’m asking you to celebrate silence not because I am disenchanted with chiming into our current news and its chaos. I’m asking you to instead not underestimate the importance of the quality of our closed relationships. Don’t withdraw from others, instead, just from the busyness associated with the social context. We all want to make difference, let’s do it by holding our thoughts and not keyboard smashing our way into the world.

And, just for now, let’s step back and let the important work unfold around us. Yes, we’re frustrated at how things can be done in a better way. We’re irritated at how situations could have been handled differently.

But, there will be a day in our near future, when we can say to those affected that we would always walk a mile in their shoes. That day, we must show them that we mean every word we say by taking a walk beside them.

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How Social Media Divides Us

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Truth About Technology – A Digital Literacy Project