First, a definition of terms: “Netiquette” is a portmanteau, a word based on two other words in order to combine meanings, in this case “network” and “internet”. A “newbie” is an inexperienced newcomer, a person who has recently started a particular activity — a beginner or novice.
The word netiquette was coined in the early 1980s to characterize guidelines for polite, appropriate, and constructive behavior in online communities. In other words, they are rules of conduct for respectful and proper communication on the internet.
However, the internet arrived late in the “perla del mar Oriente”, as favorite son José Rizal portrayed the nation in his last poem, “Mi Último Adiós’, so internet users are just now coming to terms with the rules of behavior online.
For the record, the internet arrived officially in the Philippines at 10:18 a.m. on March 29, 1994, when the Philippine Network Foundation, or PHNet, connected the nation to Sprint, which was a mobile network operator in the United States. Sprint was bought by T-Mobile in 2020.
However, the internet was not available to the general population until the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, now known as PLDT, introduced its ADSL service. ADSL is Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, a technology providing high speed data on copper wires.
So, for most Filipinos, the internet long remained an expensive and out-of-reach curiosity until Facebook introduced its Facebook Zero campaign in May 2010, giving smartphone users free access to Facebook.
Today, 70 percent of Filipinos use the internet. Indeed, Filipino users exhibit the highest daily online usage in Southeast Asia — about 10 hours a day — mostly on Facebook. And Facebook is, to put it politely, short on politesse. With a few exceptions, mostly on the Dark Net, Facebook ranks with the lowest common denominators for polite communication in the networking world.
Common criticisms include oversharing of personal information; careless or sloppy, ungrammatical posts; inconsiderate “tagging”, discussed below; aggressively pushing personal agendas; and publicly airing personal grievances.
There is no excuse for this. Basic rules of netiquette are widely available on the internet, and they are simple and commonsensible.
First and foremost, be mindful. This means maintaining moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts and feelings while paying special attention to the feelings of others. Guard against reacting impulsively, without good judgment.
Do not say anything online that you would not say in person. If you would feel uncomfortable sharing the same words face-to-face, then don’t post them
Also, be respectful and courteous. For example, avoid using all caps — that is, all capital letters — because they can be interpreted as shouting.
Next, think before you post. Consider the impact of your words on others, and use proper grammar and spelling to make your message clear.
Furthermore, respect the privacy of others by not sharing personal information without consent. Finally, acknowledge your sources when sharing content you obtained from elsewhere.
Although the rules are commonsensible, there is more to know.
First, the rules apply generally to all sorts of personal networked communications — emails, texts, messages, forums, message boards, even Instagram and video conference calls.
A related suggestion is to be mindful about whom you include in group texts. There are people who will be offended if omitted from a list, and there are others who do not want to be on a list in the first place.
Be especially careful when sharing personal information about yourself, notably “sexting” — sharing nude or embarrassing photos — because they will stay in the internet forever: You cannot delete them.
If you “tag” someone in a photo on Facebook — that is, if you link someone’s personal information to the photo — then other users can find the photo in a name search.
As for sharing private information, do not share your friends’ email addresses without permission. In forwarding an email, you can use BCC, or blind carbon copy, which blocks the addresses of recipients.
Do not forward questionable information without ascertaining that the information is correct. Hoaxes, scams, urban myths, fake coupons and other misinformation cause confusion, and they will harm your reputation as a reliable networking companion.
To prevent viruses, do not open or forward an email or message from someone you do not know. And if you do open such a message accidentally, which happens frequently, do not click on any links without checking with the original source of the message.
Respond to emails and texts promptly, within 24 hours at least. If you do not respond to emails or messages, strange thoughts will course through the mind of the sender: Did you receive the message or not? Are you ill? Is your smartphone out of order? Was your message so stupid that it was not worthy of a response? In most cases, the answer is no, and the recipient is just unaware of network etiquette.
As a recipient, you can respond simply to many messages with: “Got it. Thanks.” “Good idea.” “We can talk about it later.” “Great to hear from you. Thanks.”
Also, you should update information that you leave online in a profile or on a website for your business. Regarding businesses, include telephone numbers, email addresses, Facebook links, street addresses, contact information and hours of operation.
Along these lines, it should be noted that local governments in the Philippines are notorious for having non-functioning websites — information that is incomplete or outdated, telephone numbers that are not in service or that no one answers, email addresses that no one appears to use…. In terms of netiquette, this is clearly discourteous.
José Rizal was known for his courtesy, politeness, and graceful behavior toward others. Make him proud. Remember that netiquette is more than just a dash or two of “po”, but lots of “kapwa” — empathy, communal harmony and treating others with respect.
Bryce McIntyre, PhD, resides in San Andres. He holds a doctoral degree from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA, and has been a heavy user of the internet since 1982.