How to Avoid Getting Hurt by People Online

Like most types of friends, online relationships can end up hurting you. Although, there are several things you can to do decrease the odds of ending your day with a frown.

Go With Your Gut

If you plan to meet someone from the internet, make sure you listen to your gut feeling about them. Does anything feel off? Then don’t continue the relationship. Pay close attention to what people tell you and make sure their stories add up. That way, you’ll avoid getting catfished. Take note, this is when someone pretends to be another person online for the purpose of leading you on. In fact, strangers may even go so far as to make plans to meet up, yet something always seems to come up.

Remember, if you do meet people from the internet, always do it in a public place.

Beware of Leechers

When making friends online, people might ask you for money or gifts. You should definitely do your research before you send something or else you might end up on the wrong end of a scam. That’s not to say that there aren’t legitimate people out there who would be so happy if you bought them a gift. Instead, it’s more about the fact that there are lots of people out there who just want a couple of bucks and don’t care how they get it.

Block or Mute People

When someone is a troll, a bully, or an abuser online, the proper action to take is to mute or block them and then notify the admin or moderator of the chat room. If you engage with people who are hateful or try to provoke you, you could end up getting your feelings hurt. Admins will then remove them from the chat room or suspend them for a short period of time if the person in question has actually broken some of the rules.

Don’t Encourage Negativity

Are you seen as someone who starts fiery arguments or makes fun of others for no reason?

Then you may have a difficult time online, causing a higher chance of having your feeling hurt. Therefore, try to stay positive because it’ll make for a good time. Also, it keeps you from getting affected by people who are negative online.

Don’t read this article and think that everyone who chats online gets hurt. That’s simply not the truth. But being careful by following these tips prevents you from interacting with nefarious characters on the internet.