Back to Basics
I’ve been thinking about what to write next for a long time. It would be an understatement to say my life has been hectic. However, I’m resolved to keep moving forward and share my cyber knowledge with you because it matters to so many families and kids. I take time to educate myself on a variety of different topics within the cyber/tech industry. Sometimes, it’s about artificial intelligence (AI), online safety basics, or most recently, this week, about how I can help end online child exploitation. The things I learn about the depravity of human nature can feel sickening, overwhelming, and even scary. I’m able to process this information with a lot of self-care and music.
Music has been an important component of PopCykol. I write all the lyrics to PopCykol music. It’s cathartic. I’m able to express my feelings through songwriting, piano, and drumming during these tumultuous times. As for self-care, I walk the dog, play golf, paddleboard, do yoga, get massages, and keep up with my physical therapy for chronic back pain. These activities give me a respite from the daily barrage of bad news happening in our society.
How are you doing? Really, how are you doing?
In Colorado, we’re dealing with the aftermath of another school shooting by a disgruntled youth being radicalized online. The shooter, Desmond Holly, posted on social media of guns and other extremist content. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shared, “Holly spent substantial amounts of time in online spaces featuring extremist ideologies and violent content, ultimately adopting extremist views himself.”
So, the question is, who was watching him? Parents? School? FBI? How does a 16 year old kid get to a place like this? As an adult, I can tell you that I feel the pressure of being on and popular on social media. But, I’ve finally realized that social media has very little value. The science backs up this statement from psychology to neuroscience. Social media is harmful to young minds. Heck, it’s harmful to this 40-something entrepreneur.
For my personal and music social media accounts, my last post was to share with my followers that I’m taking an extended break until I release new music. I will occasionally post on PopCykol’s account about events and October’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This year, we are a proud partner with the National Cybersecurity Alliance and will be getting back to basics with our online safety.
Soon, you’ll see posts about the Core 4 online safety concerns. Nothing’s changed, folks! It’s still about the following:
Strong passwords (16-character minimum).
Use of MFA (multifactor authentication), turn it on.
Update patches and install software updates.
Beware of phishing attacks. The use of AI makes hackers do their job easier.
Next month, I’ll be sharing more information about the four actions you and your family can take to keep your data, privacy, and identity safe online. If you’re a parent, we should also talk about parental controls and how to safeguard your kid(s) online. If you want to learn more, visit our book page.
For now, check out a few of our resources called PopCykol Tips. These are short guides that you can read, download or print. It’s enough to get you on your way to being cyber safe and cyber smart, just like Savvy, our super helpful penguin mascot.
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