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As somebody who has been a content creator online for many years I’ve fallen into many “traps” whenever it comes to how I communicate with people online. I’ve often found myself in positions where I knew what I should’ve said or done, but I give people the benefit of the doubt too much, or I let my pride stop me from shutting down a debate with somebody who isn’t even listening to a word I’m saying anyways. I’ve been thinking about this subject for a few weeks and have decided to sit down and write down these things so that I can have them and remember them when I need, and also to hopefully help you guys!
- Don’t communicate with anybody who you wouldn’t want to talk to in real life. – Nobody’s entitled to communicate with you, and if you think somebody’s a rude or unkind person you have absolutely no reason to want to communicate with them. While it’s important to be able to have discussions with those you disagree with in society if people act like immature children then it’s their own fault when nobody wants to talk with them.
- Don’t argue just block. – Speaking from experience when somebody on the internet lashes out at you it’s hard not to defend yourself. Instead of bothering with idiots just block them. They’re not worth your time. Let them cope by saying that they’ve “won” then go back to comfortably being who you are.
- Avoid people who think as a group completely, immediately block them! – In addition to what I said above it gets very difficult dealing with people who sick their fanbases on you. I actually had an encounter once on Twitter where a man got his feelings hurt because I re-tweeted a random meme he posted and made fun of it. He sicked his follower base on me and I let it get to me. I tried to argue back, I should’ve blocked him and every person who joined in with him immediately.
- Set your boundaries and if people can’t handle them it’s completely their fault! – Human beings weren’t designed to communicate as they do online. In real life if you set a boundary with somebody and they cross it then you don’t continue to be friendly with them. The internet should be the same. Tell people if you’re not comfortable and if they do it just to defy you block them. (yes I’m talking about blocking A LOT. It’s a tool you’ve been given USE IT).
- If something doesn’t feel right to you don’t keep talking with somebody. – When you’re a streamer and a content creator like me you tend to have people pop into your chat quite often saying very odd things sometimes it’s because they want to scam you, other times its people fishing for reasons to get you in trouble on whatever platform you’re using. When somebody’s behavior seems off shut them down.
- You’re entitled to your opinion and nobody can stop you from having one! – Whether it be political, or philosophical if somebody is being rude to you for having an opinion that isn’t their own that means they’re being childish and you should just let them be wrong and block them.
- Your mental health comes first. – If somebody or something online is making you unhappy and affecting your mental health cut it off. If people are offended by that then that’s their own fault.
- If the first thing somebody says is a complaint then ignore them completely. – This one is from my own personal experience as a smaller creator but literally every single time I’ve EVER had somebody join my Twitch chat and the first thing they say is some kind of complaint or heavy criticism they pretty much always end up being the kind of person who I end up banning, or who ends up storming out of my chat in anger.
- You don’t owe anybody anything whatsoever. – I’ve had people hop into my chat, drop a follow, then immediately say “I followed you therefore you should promote my thing.” These people are lazy and don’t want to spend time growing their own brand and they feel entitled. Forget them. People should do kind things for you and not expect ANYTHING in return. That’s how real life works.
- If somebody follows YOU that means they’re interested in what you’re doing. You have no obligation to worry about them and what they want. – A few years ago I was making a new profile on YouTube or something (it’s since been deleted) and I dmed a bunch of people in my Twitter I had back then saying “Hey just letting some of my followers know that I’m making a new YouTube channel if you want to follow me there.” And I got a response from some random self-proclaimed comedian who was displaying a very indignant attitude towards me. Saying “You never follow me back, never try to reach out and be friends with me, then you have the nerve to send me your little sales pitch!!” Yes… yes I do. See the concept of following somebody implies that you’re the one interested in me and what I’m doing. That’s why Twitter calls them followers and not friends like Facebook does. You followed me therefore you want to know what I’m up to. I’m NOT following you and so I don’t have any reason to worry about you.
Bonus rule: You don’t really need a justification or reason to not want to talk to somebody. In your real life you probably don’t go around everyday thinking of explanations for ever little thing you do, therefore why should you on the web?
These are things that I’m saying from my own personal experience so of course they’re not gospel, however I think they’re pretty solid examples of the boundaries you should set dealing with people on the internet.