Netiquette ethics is what keeps everyone honest in cyberspace. Like I said before digital media gives individuals a lot of freedom and people have to use it consciously, to continue to make it an effective mode of communication. For example, in a journal on netiquette, it states, “In real life, most people are fairly law-abiding, either by deposition or because there afraid of getting caught. In cyberspace, the chance of getting caught sometimes seems slim. And, perhaps because people sometimes forget that there’s a human being on the other side of the computer, people think that a lower standard of ethics or personal behavior is acceptable in cyberspace” (www.albion.com). This is a huge issue with netiquette because people think that since there not in the “real world”, or involved in face to face interaction they can do things such as false identity, flame wars, even harassment. Another source says, “Always remember that if someone’s posting inappropriate material, chances are others are offended also, and its likely suggestions to the list moderator can get the inappropriate posts, or their posters banned” (2001). This supports the fact that it is not acceptable to act in unethical ways. This includes never getting personal, not being sarcastic because the receiver can’t here the tone of your voice and will most likely misunderstand the message, and threatening others via digital communication. Users need to have the mind set when they are communicating with digital media, that it is the same as communicating face to face. Not having the face to face interaction makes more obstacles and it’s the user’s responsibility to know how to adapt and overcome those communication hurdles in an ethical manner.

Sources

1. http://www.albion.com/netiquette/rule2.html
2. Litt, Steve (2001). Don’t Let Your Career Go Down in Flames. April 5, 2007. from http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/netiquette.htm