Introduction
The internet has brought, in its wake, numerous disadvantages and advantages in equal measure. Disadvantages are occasioned by users who behave badly on the internet. Examples of bad behaviour include, but not limited to, using offensive language in chat rooms and using people’s private information to bully them and extort money from them. On the flip side, good internet users know and respect other users’ privacy while observing the rules of etiquette. The onset of the internet has, undoubtedly, ushered us into a new world of instant. Communication has become instant; you can chat with a friend who is continents away in real time. This is in sharp contrast to the yester centuries when communicating across continents was a very tall order. You had to send a physical mail that would take days and even months and then you had to wait for an equivalent number of days or months to receive feedback. Some mails got lost along the way.
We now have instant access to information. The internet has virtually all information we would ever need. A joke is told of a student who, in his graduation speech said that he owes his success chiefly to Google. Funny or not, that is the case today, and yes, I found the joke on the internet. The other day, our grandfather was telling us how they would go to a physical library to peruse pages to get the information they needed. If one needed to refer to the proceedings of the Congress, they had to go all the way to the House Library and attain those documents. Now all this information can be accessed with a mere click of the mouse. Yes, a mouse is a device nowadays.
Physicists argue that with every action, there is an equal re-action and I say with every good innovation, there are inter innovations that come to spoil it. If well used, the internet would be a form of saviour. However, it brought with it a downside. The time it has saved us from going to the library has to be put in somewhere and people have used it to propagate bad behaviour in the very same internet. Bad behaviour has become prevalent on the internet chiefly because cyberspace offers an interaction that does not require people to interact physically. Bad internet behaviour ranges from the mundane, posting a seemingly harmless status update that offends a friend to the grave of stalking another user.
The anonymity offered by the internet makes people unafraid of being caught because they have hidden behind a façade that can hardly be revealed. Online users ascribe to the ‘you don’t know me and you can’t see me attitude and this has led to the beginning of the erosion of all social norms on the internet. People like to believe that societal norms and values do not apply on the internet but this is not the case. Students have been caught ditching class under the pretext of being sick but instead go on a drinking spree and because they cannot resist, they post pictures of their escapade on Instagram. People have lost their jobs for posting on their Facebook pages what a bad boss they have. Marriages have broken up due to a seemingly harmless flirtatious message and people have spent their lives behind bars for stalking and bullying others thinking that the rules of the physical world do not apply in the cyberspace.
Poor behaviour on the internet is not a preserve of criminals. When we hear of cyber bullies we picture a sex offender probably an ex-convict paedophile with a ruggedly unkempt look. However, it is very surprising to know that even you have behaved badly on the internet at one time or another. This is always the case even though one may or may not have suffered grave consequences; your offence was no less than that of a cyber-bully. In this regard, it is imperative that we know, and apply the rules that govern good internet behaviour at all times.
The first step towards becoming a disciplined internet user is to shatter the dis-inhibition belief that internet users hold. The belief that since they can’t see you and they don’t know you, you can afford to break the rules of etiquette. The truth is that this is an illusion. People will find you if they want to. Otherwise, how do we explain the cyber-criminal that are always being prosecuted? If you behave so badly that the forces want you, they will find you. Technology is constantly improving and now they can trace you to the farthest hideout. Armed with this knowledge, you will be a little more careful with what you do online. Additionally, some of the online chat rooms you join have people who know you, could be your parents or your friends and you have a reputation to uphold.
The other thing to remember is that once you post something online, it is very hard to pull it down and even if you do; chances are the damage will already have been done. The digital era has, on several occasions been described as the era of irreplaceable steps. Therefore, there is a need to act very cautiously. When you post that bigoted status update in anger, and the anger recedes tomorrow, will you be able to withdraw it? Today, we are highly defined by the online trail we make. As an employer, I could ask for your Facebook account and from the trail of your status updates, I can easily tell whether you are what we are looking for. What kind of a person does your trail portray? A good trail will show respect for all with well-written language, polite and knowledgeable in the field that the user purports to be a master in.
While it is human to criticise one another, a good internet user knows that just like in the physical world, words can hurt if used carelessly. It is important to stick to only giving positive criticism always keeping in mind the golden rule of treating others the way you would have them treat you and how you believe they would like to be treated. It is also helpful to imagine you are in a real world situation sitting face to face with the person. If you would be comfortable stating similar sentiments to him on his face, then it may not fall under the category of bad internet behaviour. If you feel the urge to hide behind another name other than your real name, because you do not want your comment to be associated with the real you, you should consider changing the comment. Additionally, one should ensure that his or her comment is clear and precise so that it is not misinterpreted. Remember you may not be available to disambiguate the message. If well used, the internet is a powerful communication tool but like a double edged sword, it has the power to cut deep and harm one's reputation if not well used.
In conclusion, the internet has been associated with numerous advantages in our day to day life. However, the virtual nature of the internet gives people confidence to hide behind it and engage in behaviours that would not do in real life. There is a need to develop internet ethics. However, internet users should appreciate that their online activities can be linked to them and that the internet never forgets.
