Internet+Behavior

         What is considered appropriate in the United States today might not have been appropriate 100 years ago. Similarly, what is appropriate in the U.S. today is, in all likelihood, very different than what is appropriate in China. Etiquette refers to the common code of ethics of a society, the values of that society and how the people which make up that society relate to each other socially.

In any social grouping, there are people who adhere to the social norms and people who (either by choice or for monetary gain), reside outside of generally accepted behavior. This inappropriate behavior can consist of illegal or illicit activities or just be considered bad taste by social standards. The Internet mirrors these tendencies, and due to its inherent anonymity, can even exacerbate the problem. This is because both purveyors and consumers can be completely anonymous on the web. This gives Internet users, if it is their inclination, the ability to engage in inappropriate behavior with virtually no repercussions.

The unregulated nature of the Internet proves to be partly a strength and a weakness. The popularity of the Internet is partly a strength because content offered on the Internet is not available elsewhere, the sheer volume of information available is unprecedented and not as easily available in any other medium, and mostly since the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, a place where people can socialize regardless of geographic boundaries.

The negative impact of this unregulated medium is many fold. There are online predators, thieves, unscrupulous marketers, invaders of privacy, pornographers, bootleggers, and many other classifications of disreputable people inhabiting cyberspace. These are the purveyors described earlier. Then there are the consumers of negative Internet content such as pirated software, copyrighted music and movies or explicit material. Some people innocently stumble upon negative content and leave immediately, but most are actively seeking out negative material. There is a new paradigm being created by the Internet with few boundaries for people to contend with in consuming digital material, similar to the fabled new frontier of Americas wild west.

This new paradigm changes the playing field when dealing with inappropriate online behavior. As a result, it is important for children to be taught boundaries for Internet usage (i.e. what is age appropriate or what to do if they see something inappropriate). They need to be taught about how to react when they inevitably see inappropriate material online. Parents and teachers must endeavor to take an active role in monitoring and regulating the online behavior of young people. Education and guidance will help the innocent avoid the many pitfalls associated with the Internet. That is not to say this will avoid all the problems of the Internet, but an informed user is better than one who is not. Therefore, parents and teachers must educate themselves on the new technologies and use the tools available to them to instruct young people on the proper way to behave online.

The Internet is a very powerful phenomenon, and as such, young people must be taught their responsibility and appropriateness in using this tool of which they are privileged to have access. Online Ethics and Netiquette are two new philosophical areas which need to be brought to the attention of young people who may not have a frame of reference as to what is appropriate and inappropriate or legal and illegal. Just as teenagers need to be taught how to drive and the rules of the road when getting a drivers license, young people need to be taught how to properly navigate the information superhighway. 