TAKE THAT, INTERNET WARRIORS!

You might be wondering from the title of this blog post, what in the world is an 'internet warrior?' Although you may not have heard of this term before, there's a chance you have encountered one on social media.

According to an article from tbwhs.com, titled "Dealing With Personal Attacks On Social Media," basically anyone who exhibits negative, hateful, and/or pessimistic behavior towards another person on social media or any other form of online communication can be considered an "internet warrior."

I think a lot of us can say that we have been affected by one of these 'internet warriors' either directly or indirectly, whether they have interacted on our own posts or we have seen it on someone else's social media. While it can be easy to snap back at them pretty quickly, the article previously mentioned suggests to do three things: block the user who is being rude, contact the social media platform that it is happening on, or simply kill them with kindness.

When it comes to the 'kill them with kindness' response, the author of the article includes some quotes they like to use including "my mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush," "not exactly what I call constructive criticism," high school is great. I mean I'm learning a lot. And all the kids are treating me very nice. It's great.," "uh oh, Happy learned how to putt."

While these quotes may be quite comical, I think the best response to choose is just to block the user who is exhibiting negative and harmful behavior on your social media. I think that responding to them directly just gives them exactly what they are seeking: attention. Blocking them is the simplest option and quite frankly cuts the cancer out pretty quickly.

For me personally, I have not really come into direct contact with an 'internet warrior.' However, I have definitely seen some of those who I am friends with or follow on social media experience mean and distasteful comments on some of their posts. A lot of times, it is so easy for someone to get behind their devices or keyboard and just type away and post hurtful things online without thinking about it and this is what leads to so many cases of cyberbullying. My suggestion is that if this happens to you personally, just go ahead and block the user and if it is bad enough report their account so that if whatever platform you are using can monitor that user's activity online. I think this also applies to if you are seeing someone who is victim to an 'internet warrior' to suggest that that person do the same in response.

I think this also relates to one of my previous blog post about personal branding. If you are a professional in any field, your online presence can be and most likely is another way people see you as a person and if you are interacting with abusive users online and in a way that is just as inappropriate as that user, it could be extremely tarnishing to your career. Ultimately, I think this is why it is most important to just ignore the user and block them from any further contact online.

However, it may not be that simple if it an organization you may be working for is experiencing negative feedback online. Organizations can't just block a user and think that everything is okay and over. To show that all voices are being hears, whether it be positive or negative, organizations should always strive to provide honest, accurate, and transparent communication to all users.

In an article from BBC.com, titled "How Social Media Can Ruin Your Business," Digital Consultant Pete Knott says, "social media is the most immediate threat to your company's reputation" and "if not taken seriously it can and will directly impact your company financially and culturally."

I also believe in this whole-heartedly and think this is an area where a lot of organizations fall behind on. Social media is such a huge tool to use and some organizations still fail to see that and the many advantages and benefits that it has to offer.

Whenever an organization is faced with negative feedback and it may tarnish their brand or image, Plott says that social networks are a great place to rebuild reputation. In the article, he states, 'try to think about how you can user your response to crisis to demonstrate your company's values and show its human side."

If the options above don't seem to solve anything, I found a list of "8 Ways to Deal with Negative Social Media Comments" from SalesForce.com, which will hopefully help you in any situation your organization may be faced with on social media. I have included screenshots of those eight ways below where they go into a lot more detail.

Two of the steps that stuck out to me the most were #2 and #3, which are 'be quick to acknowledge' and 'see it from their point of view." When it comes to #2, I think it is important to make sure you are communicating with your audience as swiftly as possible. A lot of times, angry or disgruntled people want a response right away and if they don't get it, it may lead to more negative comments. With #3, seeing a problem from the other person's point of view may be important because it allows you to see where they are coming from and it shows that person that you care about their opinion and want to ensure them that you are listening to them. I think these two steps and the rest provide a lot of insight for an organization to step up and take on any challenge that they may be presented with and is even ways we can apply to our personal lives if needed.

Have you personally had a 'internet warrior' attack you on social media? Do you think you may have been guilty of being one before? Has your organization or place of work had to deal with one of these? I would love to hear your feedback, but keep it nice so you don't become a so-called 'internet warrior!"

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are all are staying safe and healthy during this crisis. I also hope my blog posts can provide you with some insightful information while we are all cooped up at our homes. Like always, be on the lookout for next week's post. Stay tuned!

-CC