KNOW-IT-ALLS TO TROLLS: NETIQUETTE REVISITED

What Is Netiquette?

First discussed in the 1990s, netiquette has been defined as “the correct or acceptable way of communicating on the Internet” (dictionary.com)

The world has been changing quickly since the 1990s, in most areas, but especially in technology. Now more than ever, it is relevant that a set of core net+etiquette=netiquette rules may need revisiting. Virginia Shea’s book, Netiquette, was cutting edge in 1994, she is brilliant and clearly, a trailblazer, who put words and guidelines about online behaviors in a fairly new space. Many of the core rules are applicable still today, but some may need some revision [1].

10 Core Rules of Netiquette Revisited

1Core Rule 1: ‘Remember the human’, adapted from ‘do unto others as you’d have done to you’, is a timeless rule and still applies today.

2Core Rule 2: ‘Adhere to the same standard of behavior online that you follow in real life’ seems to still hold true….with the additional caution “…or else”. People are advised to be aware of what they say or do online as it could come back to bite them later. Social media posts have led to job loss as a Google search shows many examples

3Core Rule 3: ‘Know where you are in cyberspace’ comes with two underlying cautions, netiquette varies depending on what type of site you are on and to “lurk before you leap”. I think this is less viable now because while you may say or post things on Facebook you wouldn’t share in a work email, all things ‘net’ can and will be used against you <see additional caution in rule 2>.

4 Core Rule 4: ‘Respect other people’s time and bandwidth’ starts off with a plea to respect people’s time, not to expect immediate responses, be careful how many people you cc on an email to be mindful of their time. An update of this rule may say something like — ‘please learn and then be mindful before using REPLY ALL’.

5Core Rule 5: ‘Make yourself look good online’ warns that you will be judged by the quality of your writing… spelling, grammar, and content count! Know what you are talking about, be clear, and don’t be inflammatory ← we will visit this again! This rule is important in business settings, but acronyms, misspellings, and the ever-dreaded autocorrect mishaps have made most people a little more empathetic of errors online nowadays. Honestly, I am just trying to remember to put one space after a period instead of two!

6Core Rule 6: ‘Share expert knowledge’ …we now have onion.com <discussion over> In all seriousness, this call to share your talent and knowledge is one of the reasons we love and hate the internet. Love it for reasons like crowdsourcing where complex problems are solved; time efficiency is maximized with people sharing their developed content so others can use it and not re-invent the wheel. Another example is most recently in an online Facebook group for academic moms, scientists, virologists, etc. have been asked to help understand some of the unclear issues around COVID-19. However, when people share their expert knowledge it can also be what we hate about the internet. For example, when a friend or relative shares a satire piece as truth and fans the flames of ignorance or when ‘expert’ moms use their ‘expert’ knowledge to criticize and alienate moms who chose differently than them. I think this rule needs to have a caveat added, Share expert knowledge, given your information is correct and helpful.

7Core Rule 7: ‘Help keep flame wars under control’… just… ummm… so… this is where re-reading Virginia Shea’s Netiquette book reminds me of the 21 Jumpstreet movie where the cool kids nowadays are not the same as they were back in their high school days. Remember how rule 1 supports ‘do unto others’ and rule 5 (this is where we revisit) says to not be inflammatory. Well, rule 7 asserts “Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion.” [2]…Flames can be lots of fun, both to write and to read.” [2]…and “Flame messages often use more brute force than is strictly necessary, but that’s half the fun.” [2]. So, no. Just no. Some people may need a strong rebuttal, but nowadays flamers are called trolls and they are not helpful, don’t change minds, and should not be supported. This rule should state, simply, “No trolling. Period.” Getting angry, sternly correcting a wrong, misguided, hurtful, or even illegal statements are assertive maturity. Aggression online is the perfect example of bullying and should go against any netiquette.

8Core Rule 8: ‘Respect other people’s privacy’. Absolutely! While not always adhered to, this rule still applies today.

9Core Rule 9: ‘Don’t abuse your power’. Yep. This can go down a rabbit hole if we start to apply this to religion, politics, race, or the workplace, but for now, we will stick with the context of netiquette and agree this still applies today.

10Core Rule 10: ‘Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes’. Yes! My mom taught me that if you like someone you will laugh as they throw spaghetti on the wall but if you don’t like them you will criticize how they hold their fork, be careful of this and do for others what you’d do to those closest to your heart. I use this to check my emotions and reactions when a mistake is made by someone, is this how I would feel if my best friend did this? Is my response the way I would react if it were my mom? ← my hero, so insert your hero there.

What If Netiquette looked like…

I suppose no matter how many rules we agree upon or how we re-word them there will always be jerks on the internet. It was fun to walk down memory lane and revisit the core Netiquette rules.

[1] Shea, V. (1994). Netiquette. Albion Books.

[2] Shea, V. (1994). Netiquette. Albion Books. Page 43.