Journal #4: Netiquette

The thing I found most surprising when it comes to issues around Netiquette would be that there are so many details each online user is missing when we avoid reading the Terms and Conditions.  Right in the fine print of every terms of service, there can be conditions that we are agreeing to that are frankly terrifying and shocking.  It was most surprising to me that we agree to these things, without even reading what we are agreeing to.

I do not believe most online users take the time to read the terms of service.  Today, we use the internet more and more because it is efficient to avoiding wasting our time on the little things.  With the internet, we can sign and send documents with the click of a button.  So, when we take the time to join a network that requires an agreement to a Terms and Conditions document, we do not waste our time to read them.  The documents are far too long, and time consuming, that in our society, is just another obstacle to avoid.  People should always read the terms of service for whatever they are signing up for.  It can be dangerous if you are unaware of what information these companies are taking from you, and giving it out to the world wide web.

If I was to rate my online behaviour on a scale of 1-10, I would give myself an 8.  Although I, like many others, avoid reading the Terms and Conditions, I do use my experiences online appropriately, in my opinion.  Seldom do I use my time online for anything remotely malicious.  I do not hack, hate, or steal, anything online, I rarely even give my opinions on touchy subjects.  My only downfalls that I can see are my avoidance of the terms of service guides, and my lack of knowledge with most online topics.

One thing that I can take from this unit, and apply to my everyday life would be any self knowledge that I may have ignored before.  For instance, I will begin to read, even just scan through the terms of service, so I have even a remote idea of what I'm signing up for.  As well, I will be more cautious of how I act within any form of online discussion board.  I know now, that it is important to avoid ignorance online, and that you must consider many things when you participate in online discussion.

I believe the biggest issue with Netiquette for young people would be not knowing what is enough.  Most are unaware of how their over expressed opinions could harm others, and are delusional to the inappropriate ways they use the internet.  All of these issues are what connect us to even bigger problems, for example, cyberbullying.