#keepitkindonline - a new movement in online kindness

The internet should be a place to share ideas, to meet like minds and debate with perspectives other than your own. It should be a place where we can engage in dialogue and debate without concern for safety. At its best, the internet is a place for everyone. For many, that’s what the internet is, but for some, another side of the internet has shown itself, and that side is nasty. That side has abuse, death threats, harassment and personal attacks. Over the last year the incidence of this side of the internet seem to have grown and, for some, it has become a more difficult place to engage with each other, with more vitriol and general nastiness. This detracts from genuine dialogue about the ideas or experiences that are shared online.

#keepitkindonline is a social media campaign to highlight the unpleasantness that occurs online and to encourage people to step up and play a part in making the internet a kinder place to interact. On Wednesday June 7th organisers will encourage people to take the following pledge “I pledge to comment with care and to challenge online unkindness when I see it.” Once people have taken the pledge they are encouraged to share it on their social media status and to download Facebook profile pictures, profile frames and website banners.

The campaign is designed to highlight the unpleasantness that is experienced online and to encourage everyone to take a part in making the internet a kinder place. We wouldn’t stand by and let these actions happen in our day to day lives, so why should the internet be any different? It’s not about policing content or about silencing anger, passion or disagreement, but about ensuring that harassment and abuse are not tolerated as acceptable behaviour.

This vitriol is often felt strongly in the world of blogging. Both in the professional and personal spheres. Many bloggers moderate their own comment sections, and for popular sites this can be hard work. When your livelihood requires you to exist in this online space, the consequences of this constant barrage of attacks and resulting moderation can be exhausting. The #keepitkindonline campaign encourages everyone to be involved in bringing a little more kindness to the internet, making it a little bit safer for us all.

The people behind the campaign are Christina Baird and Jenn Hadfield O’Connell, who have never met apart from interacting online. In June 2016 Christina Baird left her job in personnel development and started a blog (https://www.breadandpomegranates.com ). She joined some blogging groups online and soon learned about the struggles that her fellow bloggers experienced. Previously she had been working to nurture resilience and wellbeing in aid and development workers and she soon became interested in the wellbeing of bloggers. “I was surprised to discover just how much nastiness bloggers experience online,” Christina says.

The nastiness that bloggers and those who write online experience range from harassment in which the police have had to get involved and bullying, to everyday unkindness and personal verbal abuse. Most employers would not allow their employees to experience this type of abuse as part of their work, yet bloggers, many of who do it because they enjoy it or are passionate

about an issue experience this on a daily basis. Experiencing this sort of unkindness takes away the enjoyment and has a negative effect on bloggers wellbeing and mental health.

Christina decided it was time to do something about this, to make the internet a kind place to be again. She has partnered with Jenn Hadfield O’Connell, an online acquaintance, to launch a campaign for more considerate interactions online. Jenn, who used to work in Human Resources and Organisational Development, left that life to move to a holiday park where she and her husband work as managers of the park. She writes a blog about her experiences with her family (https://thecampgroundkid.wordpress.com/blog/).

Jenn and Christina hope the #keepitkindonline campaign will make people think before they type, and remember there is always a person at the other end of the profile. “We don’t want to shut down debate and dialogue on the internet but we do want that dialogue to become a bit kinder,” Jenn and Christina say.

For more information we can be found:

Web: keepitkindonline.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepitkindonline/

Twitter: @keepkindonline and use the hashtag #keepitkindonline

E-mail: keepitkindonline@gmail.com

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