Cyberculture and Internet etiquette are two hypotheses that need to be applied

Today, humanity lives in a global system, and the Internet is at the forefront of this system, which has led to radical changes in all aspects of people’s lives, especially in their prevailing cultural pattern, to the extent that it can be said that the Internet culture has overtaken the one to which they are accustomed.

According to the book The Internet Galaxy by Spanish writer and researcher Manuel Castells, “Internet culture is characterized by a four-layer structure: the culture of technical merit, the culture of piracy, the culture of virtual community, and the culture of entrepreneurship.” They are new forms of human communication at the levels of business, games, and society, as everything related to the individual is now accomplished through the Internet and dealing with others is now done through it. Even thefts and attacks have a virtual path, such as hacking, piracy, theft of information, and impersonation. Each field has its own culture and etiquette.

On the business level, Internet culture and etiquette are based on credibility. Every job done remotely using technology must be paid for. Buying and selling online must be based on proof of the existence of the commodity, the seller, the user, and the beneficiary. Even virtual competition must be fair competition.

On the social level, Internet etiquette is characterized by a high degree of sensitivity, especially since people have become available at any time and on various sites, as well as their information and everything that concerns them. Here we begin with the individual cyber cultural boundaries, meaning that every person must know the limits of his sharing of what is private on these sites and deal with the privacy of others with caution and respect, even though they exist in a way that is permissible for everyone on social media. Time also has a part in culture and etiquette. Is it reasonable to knock on your neighbor’s door to talk to him in the middle of the night? Therefore, even the virtual method of communication, even if it is for the purpose of chatting, must take place within a specific time that respects solid human rules.

Even hacking has its own morals and ethics. When an electronic loophole is discovered in the system of a company or institution, it must be reported to officials, and the honorable hacker is rewarded for discovering it and not using the loophole according to illegal means or ends.

But unfortunately, in this new virtual society, a small percentage of people adhere to Internet culture and etiquette and act accordingly. It is as if the individual himself has become common to others and there is no longer any place for privacy. I wish societies were able to live in this global system based on its morals and ethics.