Following the Golden Rule on the Internet

Following the Golden Rule on the Internet

Dear ,

Tuesday was International Safer Internet Day. Kudos to Microsoft for issuing a challenge calling on all of us to embrace "digital civility". Here at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) we accept the challenge, and we hope that you will as well. It will take all of us working together to make the internet a safer and more civil place for everyone.

As the time we spend online increases, and as children take to the internet as though they were born to it, it is more important then ever that we do all we can to make it a safe place. Anyone who tweets knows what it feels like to receive a response that is completely unacceptable.

The top 5 online risks, based on a study of 14 countries are:

1) Unwanted contact

2) Being treated uncivilly

3) Trolling

4) Receiving unwanted sexts

5) Online harassment

It's been reported that 2 out of 3 of us have fallen victim to at least 1 of these 5 risks. And 50% of those polled reported being extremely or very worried about life online generally.

We agree with Microsoft, it is time for all of us to commit to doing something about this. Here at NICD we will continue our campaign to #ReviveCivility and our commitment to treat each other, in person as well as on line, respectfully, and when necessary agreeing to disagree civilly. So please join NICD in embracing Microsoft's Digital Civility Challenge to help make our online life a more civil place, and ask your friends and followers to do the same.

The Challenge is:

1) Live the Golden Rule.

I will act with empathy, compassion and kindness in every interaction, and treat everyone I connect with online with dignity and respect.

2) Respect differences.

I will appreciate cultural differences and honor diverse perspectives. When I disagree, I will engage thoughtfully and avoid name calling and personal attacks.

3) Pause before replying.

I will pause and think before responding to things I disagree with. I will not post or send anything that could hurt someone else, damage my reputation, or threaten my safety or the safety of others.

4) Stand up for myself and others.

I will tell someone if I feel unsafe, offer support to those who are targets of online abuse or cruelty, report activity that threatens anyone's safety, and preserve evidence of inappropriate or unsafe behavior.

We must continue to fight to #ReviveCivility whether it is at the town hall meeting, a grocery store encounter or online. Together, we can make it happen.

We can do more together than we can do alone.

Together we can Revive Civility,

Our Democracy Depends On It.

Sincerely,

The NICD Staff

Weber Shandwick Civility Poll 2016

In this video, Tracey Todd, NICD's Director of Social Media, shares results from the Weber Shandwick Civility Poll of 2016.

#NICDChat: Weber Shandwick Civility Poll 2016

Tucson Festival of Books

NICD is sponsoring an author to present at the Tucson Festival of Books: Arsalan Iftikhar, an international human rights lawyer and author of the recent book Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms, which President Jimmy Carter called "an important book that shows Islamophobia must be addressed urgently."

"When irresponsible political leaders and media talking heads rush to demonize Islam and lump all Muslims -- all 1.7 billion of us -- with murderous terrorists, it falls to a few "go-to" Muslim public intellectuals like me to try to talk America down from that precipice of hysteria. We're not all terrorists, we're a peace-loving religion, we condemn the destruction of innocent lives. And so on, and so on, and so on."

NICD's Director of Social Media Tracey Todd is featuring his book Maneuvering Social Media at the Tucson Festival of Books. Meet Tracey at TFOB!

Buy his book online or in person.

"Social media today is crucial and knowing how to utilize these new tools to enhance your own organization, products, and brand are essential to success. Learn how to establish social campaigns that build interested and engaged online audiences while also cementing your campaign's unique identity in the digital landscape." - Tracey Todd

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