Rules of etiquette on the Internet

Vol. 26, Issue 09, 24 November 2023

Network etiquette is called the norm of behavior on the Internet. Internet communication and the etiquette of live communication have common features that prescribe ethics in general. First of all, you should adhere to the main rule of polite behavior both in personal communication and when interacting on the Internet, that is, respect the interlocutors.

What are the main rules?

• Personal information of your interlocutors should be used with extreme caution or should not be used at all. Otherwise, it may become a clear violation. When you send emails to several recipients at once, put the recipients in a BCC: not everyone wants their e-mail to be available to someone else. If you are sending images or contacts of people, it is better to coordinate everything first. You cannot guarantee that a person likes the way he looks in a photo, or that he is ready to share his personal life with outsiders. Well, the obvious rule is: do not register on the sites by specifying someone else’s email, you also do not need to subscribe to mailing lists under someone else’s names.
• It is impossible to distract people from personal affairs on issues that can be solved in the morning or on weekdays. Messengers and mail often have a delayed sending function.

So you won’t forget to send a message, and you will have the opportunity to re-read it. If you write to colleagues, it is better to send a letter during the working day, but not 5 minutes before its end.

• Be tolerant. Sarcastic remarks and rude indications that other participants make mistakes are not the best way to express themselves. This should be avoided: otherwise, you can be considered a snob. By the way, the word “toxicity” appeared to define this behavior. It is better to indicate a mistake to a person in a personal message (not for everyone to see) in a calm tone. It is better not to pay attention to minor mistakes. It’s worth remembering that sarcasm is hard to recognize in writing. In personal communication with friends and family, it is better to add a relevant smiley or gif to the message. Respect the other person’s opinion. It is not necessary to enter into fierce disputes, trying to prove your point of view. It is quite possible that you will not convince anyone, but you can certainly spoil the relationship.
• Write correctly. Competent speech is pleasant and is better perceived by interlocutors. Your messages with errors can become the subject of ridicule. There will be more trust in the information that you will convey competently.
• Do not overuse the number of emoticons. Yes, they allow you to convey an emotion to the interlocutor. But a pile of emojis can scare. In addition, through emoticons, the reader will hardly “breakthrough” to the main idea. One or two emojis in personal messages to a friend will not be superfluous.

It seems that such rules should make us cautious and too formal in digital communications. But in fact, these rules help to get acquainted, discuss important topics and make online communication comfortable and productive.