your ~bEiNG oNlinE~ toolkit for 2021 advice and actionable tools you can put in practice TODAY to make your online life better immediately:

1. mute and block people FREELY. this is YOUR online space - you don’t have any obligation to make it “reflective of the real world”. you do NOT have to see people & opinions that upset you. you can search for those things when you CONSENT to seeing them. your TL is for YOU.

2. nobody online who “hates you” has enough constructive evidence and context with which to do so. they’ve seen a tweet or a video. they don’t *actually* know you. their opinion of you is a reflection of THEMSELVES, their biases & their prejudices. leave them to it & carry on.

3. do not let yourself get gaslit into believing you *must* listen to trolls and haters as though it’s “constructive criticism”. you aren’t stupid - you know what “constructive criticism” looks like, and harassment is NOT it. they’re idiots & you can’t save them from themselves.

4. have clear - CLEAR!!! boundaries. share only what you want to. you don’t owe anyone any information or parts of you that you feel uncomfortable giving. “popularity” is overrated & anyone who needs more than what you’re willing to give to like you, is not worth being liked by.

5. unless it’s your job to do so, don’t focus on numbers. numbers can be encouraging, but don’t let yourself be defined by them. you are a PERSON - not a digit. your worth as a human is not defined by how many strangers online, who don’t know you, have deemed you interesting.

6. make friends on here. the people I have met via social media are the ONLY good thing & redeeming quality that has led me to not delete my online presence. real, good friends are out there. find them

AND 7 !!! it is not (NOT!!!) your job to explain yourself to anyone who is determined to not hear you. don’t exhaust yourself trying to appeal to the loud minority that has *decided* you’re a piece of shit no matter what you do & say. they’ll die convinced you suck. let them.

8. the internet is what YOU make of it. you control what you see. stop being mad at people for posting content you don’t like* - take accountability and unfollow them yourself.

*excluding problematic shit that needs calling out. if activism is for you, keep it up

9. live & share for YOURSELF first. what fuels you to be happy, motivated & productive? pour into those things. the response can be wonderful - but it’s secondary. this is YOUR life - live it for yourself. share it online, or don’t. all of it is up to you & only you!