Essential Netiquette: While many of us use the internet, it is very likely that the majority of people don’t know what netiquettes are and why they should be aware of them. Netiquette is basically an etiquette that you would follow while you are using the internet, making it a safer place not just for you, but for others as well.
For instance, with phishing on the rise, there are some internet companies such as Xfinity internet that try to protect their users against unwanted attacks. However, it is up to the people themselves to be ethical enough to not carry out attacks on each other’s systems, which in itself is netiquette.
Keep reading further to find out what are some other essential netiquettes that you should know about and you should teach your children too.
Table of Contents
Be Mindful of the Language that you Use
Even though it might not seem like a big deal but the things that you say to other people can deeply affect them. You should be sure that you don’t say anything that might hurt someone else’s sentiments. Try not to call anyone by any name since even name-calling is something that can be considered highly disrespectful. If you have a hard time while trying to keep control of what you want to say, then picture it like this before you say anything, would you be saying it to that person in real life? If not, then don’t say it.
This rule applies to platforms where you can communicate with other people such as instant messages, social media apps, public forums, and even emails that you may send to someone.
Consider Other People’s Feelings too
There are certain times when you might get into an argument with someone on the internet and in such cases, we tend to say things that we shouldn’t out of a fit of rage. The first thing that you should do is you should try to avoid arguments online because they never end in a pretty way.
Oftentimes we stop realizing that we are talking to an actual person and we become very mean and inconsiderate towards their feelings. Another important thing you should keep in mind is that there is always a paper trail on the internet, even if you end up deleting something from the internet, it is very likely to stay on the internet if someone decides to make a duplicate of it before you delete it.
Don’t Forget the People Who you are Actually Hanging Out With
No one would ever want to talk to someone who is always so indulged in their phone that they forget to interact with people in real life. For example, imagine you are out on a date with someone and instead of making conversation with who you are out with, you spend most of your time on your phone. This is very likely for your date to lose interest in you and the date would be seen as a failure.
The same goes for your friends as well, while you can spend all the time you want on your phone, it is usually less often that people get the time to meet their friends. So, whenever you are out with friends, make sure you are spending time with them and not on the internet.
Be Sure not to Overshare Online
The internet isn’t as trustworthy as you think it would be. Quite often, we find ourselves talking to someone and eventually we become close enough to trust them about things we would normally be private about. While many of these people would be harmless, there is also a fraction of people that are quite the opposite. Especially when it comes to your bank information, make sure you don’t share that with anyone at all, not even people that you know.
Many people could be catfishing and be involved in identity theft which is why you need to be careful about who you talk to on the internet. Be sure not to send anyone any private images of yourself unless you know the person in real life to trust them enough.
Even for other things that might be going on in your private life, you must ensure that you are not posting everything on the internet since once something is put on the internet, it is there forever no matter how much you try to remove it.
Wrapping Up
Practicing internet safety and netiquette is everyone’s individual responsibility. While access to the internet and using it is easy, it is also important that we make the internet not just safe for us to use but for other people as well. Always remember that change begins at an individual level, so if you really wish to see a positive change on the internet, then you should be the one who starts the chain of positivity by actually practicing netiquettes!
