Checklist – social media for election candidates

Audit your digital presence:

• Search for yourself using different search engines. Go to commonly-used search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing and check what results you get when you type in your name and your location into the search bar.
• Check for any old, out of date social media profiles that you might not use any more, for example on older platforms like MySpace or Bebo.
• Forgotten your login details? It is usually possible to reset old accounts or passwords. Look for a ‘help’ section on the website, or contact the platform’s customer service or help team to ask for assistance if you get stuck.
• Decide what you want to keep or delete a social media profile. Bear in mind it might be easier to delete an old account and start over if you want to use a platform you have used in the past for promoting your 2022 political campaign.
• Review the content of each social media account that you want to keep for public use. Only keep the content that you feel is relevant and appropriate to be shared, and delete anything that is out of date or does not fit your campaign message. Repeat this process with each social media account that you will keep using.
• Get a friend to check your account – ask someone who is a contact or follower to look at your profile and tell you what they see. This will help you understand how your social media looks to others, and the impression that it gives.
• Test how it looks for those who do not follow you. Temporarily remove a friend from your contact or follower list and ask them to show you what they are able to view. After testing this, you might want to adjust the privacy settings on your account to give you greater control over who can see what.
• Privacy settings differ depending on the platform you choose to use. Take a look at the website and spend some time reviewing the options available to you. Test different options with a trusted friend for a clear understanding of what ‘private’ means.
• Check any other subscription-only or membership sites or apps that you use. Think about the content you post and how you interact with the users of those online communities. Remember that it is possible for those you are connected with to take screenshots of content you have shared with them, even if done so privately.
• Review your network, ‘friends’ or follower list, and think about the following questions:
  • How well do you know these people?
  • Are you comfortable with the level of information they have access to?
  • Do you trust them not to share your personal information and imagery?
  • Do you consider these people your ‘friends’?
  • Are you happy to be associated with them online if other people viewed your connections? Think about this in the context of the kind of content and images that they post.
• Review your membership of any groups on each platform and bear in mind:
  • Does the group align with your political views?
  • How might others see your connection or support for those groups?

Negativity and trolls:

If you receive a negative comment or response to a post or photo:

• Decide whether it is genuine or not, and whether it needs a reply
• Bear in mind that it could be in your interest to clear up any misunderstanding to avoid further confusion or negativity
• If you decide to respond, do so with a quick and clear reply, using facts and information. Try to leave out any emotion where possible
• It can sometimes be helpful to suggest that the person contacts you directly rather than continue the conversation publicly
• If friends and family are joining the conversation to defend or protect you, thank them for their support

If you are being trolled:

• Stop engaging with the account that is trolling you – sometimes it is enough to simply stop responding
• Remember that you are in control of who is in your online network. You can block and report other users and actively step away from interacting with them again
• If a conversation becomes abusive, threatening or intimidatory you should take a screenshot so that you have a record of it and then report it:
  • Social media platforms have policies for acceptable behaviour. If someone has behaved unacceptably you should report the incident to the social media platform
  • Report abusive, discriminatory, or threatening messages to the police

Each social media platform has its own information about acceptable behaviour and content. Familiarise yourself with the policies and any advice given by that platform when you are starting to build your profile so that you can be prepared and informed.

Click here for more information and advice from the States of Jersey Police on what to do about online abuse and harassment.