Technical Definitions: What is Netiquette? Netiquette Definition.

Free Definitions: Internet: General

Netiquette Definition

Netiquette refers to "internet etiquette." Since the internet does not have a set of rules established by a government, or an independent agency, it can (potentially) be a pretty chaotic environment. For such an environment to be effective, those participating need to follow the etiquette that is established. Thus netiquette refers to an established set of rules developed by the community itself, rather than an independent body. Since each participant of the internet has an incentive to see the internet prosper, we are more likely to want to follow netiquette to insure future growth of the internet, similar to the prisoners dilemma scenario. While as an individual, over the short term you may benefit from violating certain aspects on netiquette (defecting: using spam for example), in the long run, if everyone adopted such a philosophy, the internet would no longer be a useful medium, for anyone.

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