Technology
Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.
- Carefully review the privacy settings on your browser and apps and ensure you are protecting your personal information. Sometimes, using “incognito mode” on your browser is best, especially when visiting new and unfamiliar websites.
- Balance efficiency and humanity. Utilize technology to enhance productivity and simplify tasks, but never at the expense of human connection and empathy.
- Keep your operating system and anti-virus software updated.
- Keep your inbox clean and unsubscribe from lists that you no longer need to be a part of. Ask yourself if you should spend ten seconds going through an unsubscribe process on an unwanted email once, or one second deleting an email from this same company every single day for the rest of your life.
- Never store your credit card or give away your password.
- Sure, take as many pictures as your camera can hold, but if you are going to share them on social media, only post the absolute best and unique captures. There’s no need to share the same picture from several different angles.
- Never click on a link from a suspicious text or email message.
- Be mindful of screen time. Set healthy boundaries around the use of technology and encourage breaks to maintain mental well-being and foster human interaction.
- If you use your computer for anything other than social media and shopping and need to upgrade, then do a serious upgrade. Spend the extra dough and get the best components available.
- Use a password of at least eight characters long and mixes lowercase and capital letters, numbers, and symbols. Change this at least once every six months, and never share it. Consider having a slight variation of the same password for each login.
- Delete, block, unfriend, hide (or whatever) anyone that you never really wanted to see (or no longer want to see) in your social media feeds.
- Consider the environmental impact of your technology use, and strive to adopt sustainable practices and solutions.
- If your computer/device is having issues, be sure to restart it before you ask someone for help.
- “Free” is never really free. Take the time to read the Terms and Conditions of any software you don’t spend money on.
- Do not let yourself get “triggered” by the views of others that you disagree with on social media. Some people (trolls) get some temporary gratification by arguing online, but ultimately, this is a sign of someone with emotional problems, and your opinion really does not matter to them. You could successfully make them look like an idiot, make them mad, or even make their life miserable, but it is really all a waste of time and energy, and no one wins.
- Never ever open an email attachment from an unknown person. If it is from a friend and the message is weird or suspicious, do not open the attachment but check with them to see if they had sent you the attachment, as malware/ransomware can be easily spread this way.
- Occasionally go through your junk email folder to ensure that no important emails have been mistakenly reported as junk. If you do this and emails from the same person or organization are still getting moved to the junk folder, then add them as a contact/safe sender.
- Use a separate email for online shopping and website accounts.
- If you take a bad and embarrassing picture of someone, just delete it.
- Being a part of an online community or forum can be a positive and fun experience, especially if it is with a group of individuals who have the same interests (or problems) as you. Never give out your personal information and be mindful of any personal details that you may be sharing that could identify and locate you in the physical world.
- Technology can improve many aspects of our lives but remember that uniquely human skills, such as empathy, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, will always remain essential.