1. What is social media?

Social media are platforms whose content is less created by the vendor, than much more by the users themselves. There are different platforms that work in different ways and focus on different media, for example:

• Twitter on short news
• YouTube on videos
• Facebook on the exchange with friends and acquaintances
• LinkedIn to maintain business contacts and/or create new business contacts.

In summary, it can be said today that weblogs, forums, social networks, wikis and podcasts are the most widely used social media technologies.

Social media and thus the trend to connect/exchange with people over the Internet began in 1979 with Usenet (a "bulletin board" with commentary function). In the middle of the 1990s it was followed by the internet forums (mostly for a special topic, which can be discussed in the forum for a long time) and Webchats (exchange in real-time on different topics). In addition, there were also websites linking former classmates and former fellow students.

From 2003 onwards, the social network boom came about through the founding of the MySpace portal, which is a platform for communication between bands and fans. With the social network Facebook published in 2004, the largest social network ever emerged. The goal was to create a platform where users can exchange with people who know them personally and can also exchange information/data.

Facebook has dominated the market of social networks, which is seen not only on the optically but also functionally similar platforms, which went online after Facebook. Other known platforms are for example:

• 2005: YouTube
• 2006: Twitter
• 2010: Pinterest, Instagram
• 2011: Google+ und Snapchat

Figures from 2016 on social networks:

• Facebook: nearly 1.79 billion monthly active users worldwide
• Instant-messaging-service WhatsApp: 1 billion monthly active users
• Twitter: 33,22 million

cf.: Statista – The portal for statistics

2. How are social media financed?

Usually, the use of the respective platforms (e.g., Twitter, YouTube, Facebook) is free of charge. The companies must therefore generate the necessary turnover in a different way. The key lies in the user data. The companies store all the data, be it addresses, pictures, videos, contacts, likes or comments. From this it can determine, for example, who they are, where they live, what they like to like, who their friends are, where they work, what their religion, etc. Such profiles can, for example, spread advertising very effectively and effectively. It can be assumed that, in most cases, advertising is the main source of income for companies.

3. Behavior in social media?

The right behavior in social media is a balancing act that everyone has to weigh for themselves. Social media are very powerful tools that can simplify our lives by communicating quickly and easily with friends and acquaintances. For example, we can arrange a party with a few clicks with all our friends or share our holiday pictures. On the other hand, we should keep in the back of the head that in extreme cases, everything we publish there could (e.g. caused by security gaps) be read of almost any other person. Social media can, for example, favor the monitoring of the population by authoritarian states, give stalkers valuable information about their victims, allow cybermobbing, spread targeted false news, etc. Our recommendation is therefore: Publish only the information in the social media that you would also tell a stranger on the street.

4. What security settings should I consider?

First of all, the security settings only protect you from other users and only as long as there are no security gaps in the system. You should always assume that the provider, its advertising partners and government authorities (both domestic and foreign) have access to all data that you publish, no matter how you choose your security settings. To protect yourself against stalking, grooming, bullying, etc., you should only allow your "friends" (persons on your friend list) to view your personal data. When adding new "friends", you may not be quite sure if it is actually the person she pretends to be. If you doubt your identity, we suggest that you first ask a personal question (eg name of a pet, etc.) that a stranger cannot answer.

5. How can I block / lock?

Nearly all messaging services can block contacts to prevent them from receiving messages. A guide for blocking contacts is provided by a simple query in a search engine. For example, use Google and type "Block Facebook contacts". Even under the first answers you will find a tutorial.

6. Can I always delete my profiles completely?

From a technical point of view, this question cannot generally be answered. Just as the creation of the profiles in the online offerings can be very different, the deletion of the accounts is very different. To delete your Amazon account, for example, you must send a predefined form by e-mail. It may also be that you need to call, send a signed letter by mail, or simply click on Delete on the web page. A comprehensive collection of links on “delete pages” of the provider or a guide how to delete your account, provides justdelete.me.

7. How can unwanted content, pictures etc. from me or my child be taken from the internet?

From a legal point of view, the so-called "right to forget" (delete right), which is laid down in Article 17 of the Basic Data Protection Regulation, applies. Legal steps that you can take if someone has published something that you do not agree with: You can act civilly against the person concerned. In addition, the provider may also be required to delete the data. There is also a criminal offense, so that criminal charges can be reimbursed. The deletion is therefore enforceable in the legal process.

8. Danger: Cybermobbing

Cybermobbing has many forms and can be spread over a wide range of media. In a nutshell, people, companies or institutions on the Internet are defamed or harassed by messages, contributions, pictures, videos or the like. This phenomenon has developed enormously in recent years. Within the framework of the JIM study (2016), one in three of the 12 to 19-year-olds surveyed stated that someone in their circle of acquaintances had already been attacked on the Internet or by mobile phone. The older the adolescents, the higher the proportion of those who have already experienced such a case (12-13 years: 26%, 14-15 years: 30%, 16-17 years: 39%, 18-19 years: 39%).

The consequences for the victims can be serious and lead in individual extreme cases to suicide. Most of the victims retire socially, often do not tell about the attacks, and refuse, for example, the school attendance. At the first sign of cybermobbing, we recommend to immediately report to the parents and then the responsible persons (eg school management, personnel department, boss) about the incident and, if necessary, also to make an announcement. The crucial point here is to avoid the sacrifice role by immediately counteracting.

9. Danger: Fake Account

Fake accounts are accounts that are used under false names of fraudsters and are used to steal user data, spread malicious software and false news, make fraudulent purchases/sales, or operate anonymously cyber bullying. Basically, there can be fake accounts for all online applications: besides Facebook, Twitter, Ebay and many others, wrong e-mail addresses can also be affected. Depending on how much effort the fraudsters give, it can be very easy or very difficult to reveal false accounts or messages from these accounts, for example emails as falsification. We recommend that if you doubt the identity of an account in the least, delete the messages from that account (e.g., emails) unread. Under no circumstances, you should provide personal information (e.g., passwords), click links, or download attachments.