5 Silly Internet Mistakes Most People Make

I would be the first to admit that the internet is one of the best things ever invented and it has blessed my life tremendously. That doesn't change the fact that the internet is a double edged sword, it can hurt you big time. Most times, it only hurts you when you use it wrongly. Here are my two cents on 5 rather silly mistakes people make when using the internet. You need to stop making these mistakes!

1. Spending too much time online: granted, the internet makes so much useful and educative resources available, enough to bury you even, if you so please but how much of your online time is actually spent viewing useful/educative content? Most of the time, you are using 'social' media. Why not actually be social by turning off your internet and actually spending some time with flesh and blood people who matter to you?

2. Stalking people online: stalking has been made easier than ever, you can stay in the comfort of your seat and stalk away. It's however a terrible idea. Ask yourself, what good has ever come out of stalking someone online? It usually leads to heartbreak, especially if the person(s) you are stalking is an ex-spouse/lover etc. It's just as bad if you are stalking a current partner. Think about it, this person is going about living his/her life, oblivious to you, but you are doing what exactly? Wasting your life shadowing their every move.

3. Making private information public: you should know that you are increasing your chances of somebody hacking your online accounts if anybody can easily find online your birth date, the name of your first pet, your mother’s maiden name or the name of the street of your first home. In fact, Microsoft found that strangers have a 13% chance of guessing the answer to your security questions within 5 attempts.

4. Using the same passwords for everything: even if your password is more complicated than a secret James Bond code, if it does get discovered, every single account you own can be messed with. It's just not a very good idea. You should even update your passwords every now and then just so you are sure that you are always a step or more ahead of hackers.

5. Posting inappropraite things on social media: just this morning, I read about a woman who landed her dream job only to lose it 30 minutes later just because some boss happened to check her up on Facebook and found some photos that were too embarassing. Posting the wroing stuff online can seriously harm your reputation, you should always think twice about it.

Cover image via Thegrio