There
are hundreds of different types of etiquette; for example, driving etiquette,
golf course etiquette, grocery store etiquette, etc. Probably one of the most
important kinds of etiquette is Digital Etiquette. Digital Etiquette is how you
conduct yourself online. Some examples of poor Digital etiquette are things
like responding in all caps, texting when on a date, or answering a phone call
in the middle of a conversation. If these simple things can be considered rude,
then why would cyberbullying ever be acceptable? It wouldn’t. Cyberbullying is
a serious matter. Cyberbullying, by definition, is the use of
electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an
intimidating or threatening nature. I wouldn’t intimidate, or threaten anyone
in person unless I felt physically in danger. So what would be a good excuse to
bully someone online? Nothing, there is absolutely no justification for trying
to intimidate or humiliate anyone online. There have been real life scenarios,
in the past, where kids have actually committed suicide because of the harsh
harassment they had to put up with every time they logged onto a social
networking site, and that’s disturbing. America is a free country, therefore,
everyone should be able to log onto a social networking site and enjoy
themselves without having to worry whether or not they are going to be harassed
and embarrassed in front of their friends. So next time you’re about to send
something to someone that could POSSIBLY be interpreted as hurtful, even if you
are joking or being sarcastic, think twice and read it back to yourself before
you send it.
