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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

How to be human online

Answering ethical problems in the internet age. If you would like advice from Emma Brockes on how to be a human online, send us a brief description of your concerns to human.online@theguardian.com

16 July 2018

  • Sad woman sitting in cafeteria and using laptop<br>Sad woman sitting arms crossed in cafeteria and looking at laptop.

    Is it possible to turn online aggression into a frank debate?

    While trolls and idiots are best ignored, there can be value in seeking to genuinely understand those who disagree with us

12 April 2018

  • Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Testifies At Joint Senate Commerce/Judiciary Hearing<br>WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. Zuckerberg, 33, was called to testify after it was reported that 87 million Facebook users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    I'm angry at Facebook – but I'm also addicted. How do I break free?

    Like you, I have no idea how to wean myself off the platform, but acknowledgement is the first step to recovery

13 February 2018

  • driver on phone

    Should I call out my friends for using their phones while driving?

    There’s no question that ‘distracted driving’ can be deadly – so why are so many of us reluctant to take a stand against it?

23 December 2017

  • iphone x

    We're all addicted to smartphones. Are flip phones the miracle cure?

    A new iPhone might be tempting at Christmas – but imagine escaping the endless distraction and becoming better organized in the process. I’ll do it if you do

7 November 2017

  • US actress Rose McGowan raises her fist during her opening remarks to the audience at the Women’s March / Women’s Convention in Detroit, Michigan, on October 27, 2017. A stream of actress including Rose McGowan, models and ex-employees have come out, many anonymously, to accuse Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and abuse dating as far back as the 1990s. / AFP PHOTO / RENA LAVERTYRENA LAVERTY/AFP/Getty Images

    I hate internet outrage. But could we have stopped Weinstein without it?

    Social media has leveled the playing field between those with immense power and the rest of us. But there are upsides and downsides to public shaming

29 August 2017

  • Couple taking self-portrait with cell phone on floor at party. Image shot 2013. Exact date unknown.<br>DTKCGD Couple taking self-portrait with cell phone on floor at party. Image shot 2013. Exact date unknown.

    Does constantly photographing my life ruin it, or help me remember it?

    Holidays, children, natural phenomena: it’s easy to feel something didn’t happen unless you took a photo. But there are moments a picture can’t replicate

10 August 2017

  • Children playing with smartphone<br>C9CH2F Children playing with smartphone

    Is it wrong to let my child play on my smartphone?

    We’ve often been told that screen time for children should be limited. But what if the real danger is our own addiction to our phones?

27 July 2017

  • social media addiction

    Does staring at your phone for hours on end serve any practical purpose?

    How often are we guilty of ignoring the people we love to check if randoms we haven’t seen in years have posted new pictures of their children online?

13 July 2017

  • Young woman sitting on the carpet of living room looking at her smartphone

    When does following my ex online become stalking?

    From celebrities to exes, we’ve always obsessed over people that intrigue us. Social media just makes that easier – but there’s still a line you can cross

28 June 2017

  • HTBHO - Should I delete uber

    Is it OK to use Uber now that Travis Kalanick has resigned?

    Personally, I wouldn’t. But the question is a much bigger one: how do we take responsibility for our role in the exploitive gig economy?

14 June 2017

  • How to be human online - should I call out rude comments on social media

    Should I speak up when I see something offensive or false on social media?

    With all the ranting and raving, it’s easy to feel that sensible online debate is impossible. But people are watching, and sensible voices need to be heard

31 May 2017

  • What harm could there be in posting photos of your cute kid?

    Is it OK to keep posting photos of my kids on Facebook?

    Even aside from privacy concerns, sharing photos means involving your children in social media’s erratic emotional economy

17 May 2017

  • How to be human online: Uber ratings

    I had a really bad Uber ride. Can I give the driver one star or will it wreck his ratings?

    By putting too much faith in the importance of ratings and making the process too casual, low-income individuals are at the mercy of the gig economy

3 May 2017

  • Amazon

    I found something I like in a store. Is it wrong to buy it online for less?

    Is purchasing on Amazon instead of a local store destroying a community that goes beyond the transaction – or is it just smart shopping?

19 April 2017

  • Emma Brockes How to be human column

    My friend messages me on every platform. How do I politely say 'back off'?

    In a world where we get flooded via Facebook, text messaging and more, a look at whether you can de-escalate a friendship without losing a friend

5 April 2017

  • How to be human online, column illustration

    Can any good come from engaging with internet trolls?

    Online abuse has been around for years, but the idiom of the troll has changed the landscape. Can they be reasoned with?

24 March 2017

  • Business people using technology in office

    Is it wrong to unfriend or unfollow people I disagree with?

    Allowing in friends and relatives with other views is not the reminder that their views have value, but that the people who hold them are as real as we are
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