Digital Empowerment Assignment on

‘NETIQUETTES’

23BA075
Skarma Chusgnit Wangmo
BAHE C
‘‘netiquette’’
‘’Formal and acceptable way of using the internet.’’
A social code used when interacting with others on the internet, netiquette is a
combination of the word ‘Net’ and ‘Etiquette’.
 Introduction
As social beings, humans interact. Whether it be at home, work, outside, social
gathering, everywhere human beings converse with each other. During these
interactions, there are social rules while interacting with one another, which is
generally agreed upon by everyone so that there is controlled and accepted
behaviour in particular social groups and social situations. They usually are in
accord with the conventions and norms observed and practiced by a society,
a social class, or a social group. This set of norms mandated by custom and
enforced by group pressure is termed as etiquette, derived from the French word
etiquette. Over the course of time, general rules and recommendations have
become prevalent.
Since the upsurgence of internet and rise of digitalization in the world, there rose
another ‘Third Space’ where people are exchanging conversations, media and
news with each other. Similar to how we carry out a general rule of conduct while
communicating with someone offline, netiquette arises as such propriety in the
digital space. If the participants of a communication medium commit themselves
to certain behavioral rules, a pleasant handling of the medium and a respectful
coexistence are ensured. Depending on the medium, conventions and rules are
therefore proposed so that the participants can understand and relate to the
statements and opinions of the respective other party. This is to avoid rudeness,
insults, and technical problems, as well as incorrect handling of the medium.

The internet plays a huge part in our daily activities, allowing us to communicate,
share information with others and even run businesses. With so much of our lives
dependent on the internet, it is important for us to understand how our online
behavior can impact us and others. Netiquette applies to us in personal and
professional contexts. Since whatever we write on the internet is permanent, we
should be mindful of what we say and how we say it.
As rules for non-digital communication got developed overtime, same goes the
case for netiquette. The first version of netiquette used online was seen on
Usenet. Regular users gradually started to suggest individual rules, which came
from unintended outcome of communication or the way of handling the medium
going in the opposite way. The first document of netiquette was published in
1995, titled ‘’ The Netiquette Guidelines RFC 1855’’. Later on, it became the
blueprint for rules for many other website operators and providers of information
services.

Why do we need netiquettes??

Netiquette rules have emerged to facilitate online interactions in the absence of
visual and auditory cues. Written communication takes place without the benefit
of body language, tone of voice or facial expressions, which means there can be
uncertainty about what someone is really saying. Knowledge of network etiquette
discourages inappropriate online conduct and conflict. It promotes a safe,
engaging, respectful, and collaborative group where diversity of opinion is valued.
This is why most websites and social media platforms where users can
communicate in this way have accepted rules of behaviour.

Fundamental Netiquette Rules

Rule 1: Remember the Human
While interacting, do not forget that you are talking to another human behind the
screen. The people you are interacting with online are real humans and not
disembodied usernames or profile pictures. Remember to treat them the way you
want to be treated by others. The internet can often very easily dehumanize other
people, especially when you are interacting with someone you do not know
personally. Since most of the online interactions are nearly always recorded and
backed up, they become your digital footprints. If you act inappropriately, these
recordings will serve as evidence against you.

Rule 2: Be ethical
In the real world, Laws acts the supervisor to maintain decorum within the
society. In online spaces, it is very easy to forget and let your ethics slip since there
is no central body. Using illegal streaming services, downloading media from them
copyright infringement is still breaking the law. The activities result is huge losses
for the owner or institutions. We see there are artists, companies, internet
providers and law enforcement agencies are continuing to prosecute people who
illegally access and/or their material.
We need not forget that whatever action we take online, they have ethical
implications too. Just like any other decisions we make, what we do online has
ethical implications. These ethical choices are not necessarily associated with law,
but the decisions you make online demonstrate your ethical stances. For example, if
you use a program like you are cutting off the revenue streams of the websites you
visit. This includes small and independent websites just as much as it affects larger
corporations. Think carefully about what kind of digital citizen you want to be.

Rule 3: Know where you are

Netiquette varies from website to website. Just as how there would be a difference
in the way you act a party compared to how you will act in of a professional setting,
what is acceptable in one environment is not acceptable in another. For example, the
way you behave on university official chatgroups and discussion forums will be very
different to how you behave on a social network like Instagram. One good piece of
advice comes from Shea (2011) "lurk before you leap". When you approach a new
website or a platform online, watch and monitor how people communicate and
interact. Once you have observed their behaviour and have an idea of what is
acceptable, feel free to join them.

Rule 4: Respect other people's time

We live in a much faster world than the previous generation used to live in.
Information can be sent to different people around the world in split seconds–
and without much effort. Nevertheless, the bandwidth, that is to say the
information capacity of wires and channels, is limited. It is similar with humans.
Think of this limited receptivity of information when you send messages to your
friends, colleagues or superiors.

Do you get to the point quickly enough in your emails? Are your arguments
formulated correctly and clearly recognizable? No one wants to waste time
unnecessarily on an email whose core message is only at the end of the email.
That consumes time and effort, and is simply annoying. Also, consider who really
needs to be on the list of recipients, consider who is the relevant person who you
need to forward this information to. Shea (2011) argues "it's your responsibility to
ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted". Social
networks can help you achieve that by focusing your contributions towards
appropriate networks.

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

Make sure you are careful with what you share online. It is always advisable not
to share anything embarrassing, illegal or inappropriate. In online platforms,
people, whether you know them or not, can look you up and see what you have
uploaded. Make sure you have a good image online. Always ensure that whatever
you have written is easy and understandable, and that it will convey your message
to other entities correctly. It makes it hard for others to decipher your work if it is
not communicated properly. You should generally avoid swearing, but if you feel
the need it may be an idea to use euphemisms or asterisks to filter it out; e.g.
f***.
Online interactions can be a great leveller, since there is anonymity attached to it.
Unless you share such personal information, attributes like your gender, weight,
general appearance, name, religion and race will be unknown to those you
interact with. You can take advantage of this, but also you need to be wary about
the dangers lurking around in the dark.

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

Sharing is one of the principles behind the majority of internet services. If you are
knowledgeable in an area then you have something to offer to others. Share what
you know, your experiences, mistakes, etc, and it will help other users. It could be
both positive and negative. Sharing these can prevent others from doing the same
mistake, or do something in a much more productive way. If you ever ask
questions to other users, it is good practice to post a summary of the responses.
This enabled everyone to benefit from answers and does not require each
individual to do the same synthesis.
You should never post anything disingenuous online. In the online environment, it
is very easy for untruths, errors and mistakes to become accepted as fact and
propagated. Lies and misconceptions spread online can cause huge dilemma. You
have responsibility to ensuring the accuracy of your contributions. If you are
sharing opinion or ideas, make sure it is clear to your audience.

Rule 7: Keep disagreement healthy

There always will be two sides to a coin. People are always going to disagree and
that is healthy. But some disagreements can be about controversial and heated
issues like politics, religion and philosophy or they can be relatively trivial. When
involved in any such a debate, it is important to be respectful of the other people
involved. Never reduce the discussion to personal issues and avoid inappropriate
language. Be open minded and respect everyone’s opinion. If you are going to
provide comments that area tad negative, ensure they are constructive and
useful.

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

When you are networked to someone on a website like Instagram or LinkedIn,
you may be given privileged access to information about him or her and what he
or she shares. You have the moral duty keep the identity of the person protected
by ensuring you do not breach anyone's wishes by sharing any of the content they
have made available to you. It is also worth mentioning that you should not use
anyone else's computers, mobile devices or accounts without their permission.
Leaking their private media by snooping and checking in their computers is not
ethical.

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

If you are an administrator or facilitator for any online environment, make sure
you do not abuse the privilege of access that your position may give you. You
have the right to keep the members in check and ensure it is a safe space for
everyone to interact. But you do not have the right to remove others or ban
others from the space without any proper reason.
Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's
mistake
People will make mistakes when they are new to online environments. The
newer generation is prematurely exposed to the internet, and hence might
create mistakes that might be there forever online. Everyone has to start
somewhere, so try and be forgiving of other's mistakes.

Conclusion
When digital world is such a big part of our daily lives, it is necessary to realise the
space created over there has now became a platform of communication and
interaction. Especially when now the younger generation is exposed to internet at
a very young age, netiquettes should be taught to them as similar as how a parent
will teach about social etiquettes in offline world. Since internet is a commodity
that has no central authority over it to supervise, it becomes a moral duty as
netizens to keep the space online as much safe for communication as possible.
Following the above rules, we can all become ethical netizens who take
responsibility while using the internet.