On first impulse, one will easily relate the colour pink to women. The colour pink is derived from a blend of red and white. It represents compassion, unconditional love, understanding, the giving and receiving of nurturing and compassion.
Silently, the pink is perceived to be feminine and, as such, it is seen to largely display the very characteristics of womanhood; it is romantic, affectionate, intimate, thoughtful, intuitive, kind, sensitive, tender and caring.
What have psychologists got to say about the color pink? It is a sign of hope and assurance that everything will be okay. It is faith in the positive outcome of the unknown. It is trust in the intention of acquaintances and strangers.
As social networking and social media have grown, so has personal barriers toned down and as such the loss of individual privacy. The impulse to share instantly has caused many of us to inadvertently expose ourselves in ways that can compromise our safety and security.
However, women are perceived to be disproportionally more at risk but, again, the opportunity to share, share instantly have enormous benefits and it empowers one to take action. The right action!
We recall briefly the case of Cynthia who was allegedly murdered by friends she met on the social networking site, Facebook. The outrage and series of protests that followed the circulation on the Internet, the video of a girl who was brutally raped in Abia State University readily comes to mind.
As much as social media and technology are perceived to be safer for men, women also can be engaged in its ‘safe’ use to raise awareness on issues that affect them. We may have unconsciously become pink in our orientation towards our network within the social media space.
Social Media is not necessarily a closed and safe universe. It is not necessarily a world that is different from our physical world. The same way we are weary and cautious about strangers that we meet in the course of the day, should be the same way we must be weary of strangers within our network.
Alas, being befuddled that the cyber space is totally different, we trust in connections unknown, we hope in positive outcomes based on transactions with connections unseen and just believe that everything is okay.
The real world and cyberspace are often at odds; sometimes the cyberspace can feel safer than the real word. The real world is somewhere where we can easily relate to. We work hard or not enough to earn our living, we hurry or drag our feet in the course of carrying out our daily activities, we blush and feel awkward, worry what we look like etc.
The real world comes with all the worries which include how we can have access to the Internet to get on the cyberspace in the first place. Cyberspace is somewhere no-one can see you blush or that you stay in the backside of town. You can make people to believe that you are whoever you want them to think. You can make folks assume that your hustle is paying you in six digits even when the next source of income for the soon to expire Internet subscription is unknown. You can add as many friends as you possibly can and be as popular as you can be. You can know anything you want to know, when you want to know it, and connect with issues and acquaintances in an effortless instance. You can be the best football analyst even when you are not watching the ongoing game.
Knowing all these, do not forget that people can lie online without difficulty! In fact, do not bring your pink tendencies in here. The best way to protect one is to make one non-vulnerable in the first place. Do not exhibit pink attitude in the course of playing in the social media space which is predominantly red in color with all the danger and fierceness inherent in it.
One may ask, but pink contains red? The dose of the red contained therein is not adequate to tone down the fiery red often associated with the social media. Whenever you engage in social media, remember that it is up to you to make sure what appears in connection with your name and image does not have the potential to harm you now or in the future.
It is important to remember that the real world counts the most, and much of what we see online is pretence. The Internet is an important tool and it is very much part of the world we live in today, but whilst our relationship with cyberspace should be celebrated, our kinship with the real world should be more special.
While spoken words leave little trace and are quickly forgotten, written words endure in the online environment. Whatever you post, tweet, update, share, even if it is deleted immediately afterwards, has the potential to be captured by someone without your knowledge. This is especially true of social networking sites, including private messages shared between two people and postings to a private group. There is no such thing as “private” in the world of social media because anything you put up can potentially be grabbed, copied and saved on someone else’s gadget.
The same way, we have good and bad people in real life, is the exact way we have them in the social media space. How then can one have a meaningful networking experience without being vulnerable to the powerful red energy of the social media space? How can one have fun in the midst of danger? The answer is simple: do not think of social media as being distinct and different from the real world. Same activities and actions you take to keep yourself safe in the real world should be applied when engaged in social networking.
In conclusion, ensure that the information you wish to share is what you share. Be deliberate in your updates and best of all; be reminded that the social media is predominantly red in colour. There may exist some pink instance but the keyword here is “predominantly red.”