By Chetrice Mosley-Romero

Today is National Social Media Day. A reason to celebrate, right?

It might be safe to say that the party’s already started; especially when you consider that in 2020,  people in the U.S. spent an average of more than two hours every day on social media networks. Worldwide, the average is nearly half an hour longer at 145 minutes.

And, while this might be the perfect excuse to round it up to three hours, CISA provides a few tips on how to stay protected while connecting with others on social networks. Another great resource is the National Cybersecurity Alliance, whose advice covers everything from securing your devices to what you need to do with all of the “links” that show up in our social media feeds, and more, including:

• Knowing who’s (really) your friend – Social networks can be used for a variety of purposes. Some of the fun is creating a large circle of friends from many aspects of your life. It’s always good to use the tools on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to help manage the information you share with your friends in different groups or other online pages.
• Feeling uncomfortable? Be honest – If a friend posts something about you that makes you uncomfortable or seems inappropriate, let them know. Likewise, keep an open mind if someone says that something you’ve posted makes them uncomfortable.
• Once posted, always posted – What you post something online, it stays online forever. Keep in mind, too, that recent research found that 70 percent of job recruiters rejected candidates based on information they found online. Maintaining your online reputation can and, often does make a difference.
• Keep your personal info personal and maintain your settings – Be cautious about how much personal information you’re sharing on social networking sites to avoid being a victim of identity theft. It’s OK, too, for you to control your privacy settings and control what you see on social media and what you don’t see.
• When in doubt, throw it out – These days, there are ALL kinds of links in our emails, tweets, posts and even text messages and online advertising – much of it through our social media accounts -- that are used by cybercriminals to take advantage of you. Even if you think you know the source and something looks suspicious, don’t click on any of the links and delete it.

Having fun while staying safe online is a real reason for celebrating National Social Media Day. Make a day of it by changing your passwords, or better yet, reach out to your friends and post something that’s positive and fun.

But, if you’re wondering just how much social media influences (seemingly) every aspect of our lives, a recent report found that people spend an average of six years and eight months of their entire life on social media.

Of course, if that sounds like a lot, compare it to the one year and eight months we spend doing housework!