On internet etiquette

Internet and social media

The internet began with a few competing forms of websites, some of which include:

• text-based sites such as academic research pages and blogs
• productivity web apps such as calculators
• media streaming sites for audio and/or video
• online games
• asynchronous communication sites such as
  • chat rooms
  • direct messaging services
  • message boards (aka forums*)
  • social networks aka social media

* - arguably, the largest forum, reddit, has also become a social network!

Most of the aforementioned website types have adopted facets of the latter, most pervasive social network, mostly relating to abilities to provide feedback to content (aka posts):

• commenting (aka replying)
• reacting (aka liking, upvoting, reposting, emoji tagging)
• subscribing (aka following, friending)

Thus, we could interpret a social network as a subscription service where a user can send and receive content to one or more users. Other users may have the option to comment and provide rapid reactions to those messages. They may also subscribe to a user's messages. Other features of the service may exist but those lie beyond the scope of this article.

Etiquette

So, etiquette refers to a set of protocols, whether written or unwritten, that we should follow to provide a smooth experience for everyone. Sure, even the author should feel guilty of an occasional transgression from this set of fundamentals, so they should remain guidelines which many do not see as apparent or self-evident!

Social media etiquette

Internet, or social media etiquette (for all intents and purposes of this article), should follow this pattern (assuming that both the subscribed and subscriber have equal social status):

• If a user provides feedback to another user, the original user should at least subscribe to the other ("a person who likes should also follow")
• If a user subscribes to the other, the user should at least participate in the subscribed ("a person who follows should also like")
• If a user comments on a message, they should at least have provided rapid feedback ("a person who replies should also like")

The first point cultivates greater understanding between the subscriber and the subscribed. A user should try to know a message's author before giving feedback to the author's messages. Sure, a user may like just one post of a user's content, but not the user. However, we would like to bring up the scenario where a user will like dozens of posts ... and then not subscribe! Based on personal experience, this scenario happens quite often. It baffles the mind why a user, who likes another user's catalogue of content, would not even bother following!

The second point cultivates subscription maintenance. "Following" and then leaving the account alone breeds suspicion. It makes the "follower" look like an inhuman bot of the "followed". A follower should thus try to provide rapid feedback ("like") about a quarter to a half of a followed's posts. A follower should comment at least one percent (but not more than ten percent) of a followed's posts. Alternatively, a follower who uses the social network every day, should at least try to react to a user's content about once every month. If a follower cannot do this, the follower should unsubscribe ("unfollow").

The third point cultivates healthy interactions. If a follower cannot like a post, they should not reply to it. Sure, the post can say something completely wrong or offensive, but the best option is to leave it alone. There exist billions and billions of messages on the internet. We have to keep in mind that most of them have no meaning. If a post conveys a very bad message, then it should draw no attention. By replying, it gives attention. By replying without liking, it shows that an unhealthy interaction has existed. Why should one waste their time on unhealthy interactions? One should thus move on and gravitate towards more enjoyable content!

"Following back"

All that said, the requirement for mutual subscription ("following back") does not exist: one should follow another user purely out of genuine interest. The person subscribed/followed has no obligation to follow back!

"Removing followers and blocking (non-)followers"

However difficult for users, all social networks at this point have a means to perform a subscription purge. A user may wish to remove a follower (or block the non-follower) solely for not cultivating any of the points listed in the etiquette above. Why would a user do this? Integrity of follower count, perhaps? Of course, vanity sets in where humility fails.

Summary

• Most internet websites have adopted some, if not all, components of social networking, which includes
  • commenting
  • reacting
  • subscribing
• Etiquette refers to protocols for smooth operation of some phenomenon
  • social media etiquette guidelines include
    • liking then following, or
    • following then liking
    • liking then replying
    • following back
    • removing followers when necessary
  • following those guidelines cultivates
    • understanding
    • freshness (via subscription maintenance)
    • healthy interactions