The Golden Rule online

Did you know that this year the Digital Civility Index measured the highest levels of incivility in both tone and tenor since the survey began in 2016? Every day is a good day to remember that there are people behind the screen. And wherever there are people, the Golden Rule applies. Join the #Challenge4Civility. #TuesdayTip

According to the 2020 index, the most painful acts of incivility stemmed from:

~ damage to professional reputation (84%)

~ discrimination (81%)

~ personal reputation (81%)

~ online harassment (79%) and

~ cyber-bullying (78%).

What topics drive online incivility?

Physical appearance and politics are the primary drivers of online incivility, with 31% of all respondents pointing to both of these two topics as problematic. Sexual orientation was close behind at 30%, while religion and race came in at 26% and 25% respectively.

In Canada, physical appearance (24%) was considered to drive the most incivility, followed by race (22%), sexual orientation (21%), politics (21%), and religion (20%).

Here are some tips to practice the Golden Rule on social media: