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ISSUE 32OFFGRIDWEB.COM
Survival Expert Tim MacWelch’s ApproachPreparation
Being constantly bombarded by op-
posing political views, hateful comments,
and general nonsense every time we log
onto social media, most of us (hopefully)
develop a thicker skin by routinely observ-
ing this kind of online activity. Our exposure
should prepare us for a certain amount
of social media harassment. But if it went
beyond the normal trolling and turned very
personal, I’d have no problem shutting that
noise down. Seriously, I’d close down all my
accounts and revel in the spare time I just
freed up. But I know, for some of you, this is
unthinkable or just not possible.
Do your homework to decide if continu-
ing on social media in the face of personal
harassment is worth it. Look into the details
of that social media platform and take ad-
vantage of any preventive measures regard-
ing functionality, filters, and general use.
Of course, you can’t control every time
someone mentions your name online, but
you can provide less fuel for the fire. Limit
the invasion of your privacy by limiting your
output. For example, stop posting publicly
on Facebook. Choose the option to only
post for known friends or customize the list
of people who get your posts. Posting “I’m
out of town for such and such event” pub-
licly tells anyone who cares to look (both on
and off Facebook) that your home is wide
open for prowling, burglary, and vandalizing.
For those who crave a little more security
in their lives, but still want to share every-
thing they’re doing publicly, don’t post
things as they happen. Go with the #later-
gram approach and give yourself a social
media delay. Save that cool picture of your
dinner plate for tomorrow morning (when
you’re not at that restaurant anymore), and
post your vacation pics after you return
(not while you’re gone). This keeps strang-
ers and troublemakers from knowing where
you are at all times.
Another preventative step is to be more
selective about the people you friend or fol-
low on social media. Most of us often click
without really looking in the quest to have abroader reach online. Do your research on
the people who want to associate with you.
Check them and their friends out before
you add them to your friends list. If you see
things that make you uncomfortable about
their posts or profile, it’s best to keep your
distance and not associate with them.On Site
Let’s say that I was as careful as I could
be regarding the information available
about me via social media and online in
general, but someone started vilifying me
through Facebook. I might ignore or en-
gage, depending on the nature of the posts,
and try not to let it get under my skin. From
the first threat, I’d take this issue very seri-
ously and deal with it swiftly, but not by re-
plying with an equally threatening response
or some snarky remark to prove how brave
I am. I’d use one of the best legal weapons
that I could wield as a victim of harassment
— documentation.
If you’re taking the “high road,” you
have to expect harassment to be resolved
through legal channels and the best way to
solidify your standing is with proof. Docu-
ment everything they say and do. Take a
picture of every threatening text message.
Get a screenshot of every nasty Facebook
post (since they can delete the post on their
end). Make note of the time and duration
of every harassing phone call you receive,
recording them if possible. Each and every
time you encounter this person, tell them to
leave you alone and document the inter-
action. With tangible evidence to show a
judge, you’ll have a better chance of getting
a conviction or obtaining an order of pro-
tection if things escalate to that point.
In addition to documenting each nasty
interaction, you could also begin a little
research on the person who has begun
threatening you. In the case of our scenario,
being stalked by an ex, you already know
who they are — but see what else can you
discover. You don’t have to hire a private
eye, but a background check or online
search could tell you a little more about thecurrent state of the person you thought you
knew so well.
One big issue with stalking charges is
laws are vastly different between jurisdic-
tions. Your situation (and outcome) may be
very different if your stalker is outside of the
state where you live, or even outside of the
country. Talking to an attorney can let you
know what laws are being broken, if any,
and legal counsel can give you the informa-
tion you’ll need if you have to take the “next
steps” with local law enforcement.
Hopefully, things don’t go so far that you
need to see a judge. If the abuse is only
occurring on a social site like Instagram or
Facebook, read through the site rules and
notify the site owners about abusive com-
ments. Due to frequency of online abuse
these days, a number of social media sites
have to provide a way to block individuals.
If enough complaints are logged, the social
media site can either lock the person’s pro-
file or ban their IP from visiting the site. Even
if the harassment happens outside of the
social site, but points back to it, the site own-
ers will likely be on your side — they don’t
want to be involved in a dispute or lawsuit,
and they don’t want to receive bad press.Crisis
Unfortunately, having someone thrown
in Facebook jail is not the solution to every
situation. It may just push them over the
edge. When the harassment is persistent or
includes the threat of violence, it’s time to
contact law enforcement. But here’s another
problem — cyber bullying and online stalking
are relatively new issues as far as lawmakers
are concerned. Many states don’t yet have
laws with clear-cut definitions on what con-
stitutes these issues. When the laws aren’t
in place, it can be hard for law enforcement
and attorneys to stand up for the victims.
Plenty of jurisdictions are considering the en-
actment of laws that regulate online harass-
ment, but most legislation moves at a snail’s
pace — if it moves forward at all. Talk to your
lawyer about the orders of protection that
are available in your home area.