Preface: What Is A Netizen?

Preface: What is a Netizen?
The story of Netizens is an important one. In conducting research five years

ago online to determine people's uses of the global computer communica-
tions network, I became aware that there was a new social institution, an elec-
tronic commons, developing. It was exciting to explore this new social insti-
tution. Others online shared this excitement. I discovered from those who
wrote me that the people I was writing about were citizens of the Net, or
Netizens.
I started using local bulletin board systems in Michigan in 1985. After
seven years of participation on both local hobbyist-run computer bulletin-
board systems and the global Usenet, I began to research Usenet and the
Internet. I found these online discussions to be mentally invigorating and wel-
coming of thoughtful comments, questions and discussion. People were
friendly and considerate of others and their questions. This was a new envi-
ronment for me. Little thoughtful conversation was encouraged in my high
school. Since my daily life did not provide places and people to talk with
about real issues and real world topics, I wondered why the online experience
encouraged such discussions and consideration of others. Where did such a
culture spring from, and how did it arise? During my sophomore year of col-
lege in 1992,1 was curious to explore and better understand this new online
world.
As part of course work at Columbia University, I explored these ques-
tions. One professor encouraged me to use Usenet and the Internet as places
to conduct research. My research was real participation in the online com-
munity, exploring how and why these communications forums functioned. I
posed questions on Usenet, mailing lists, and freenets. Along with my ques-
tions, I would attach some worthwhile preliminary research. People respected
my questions and found the preliminary research helpful. The entire process
was one of mutual respect and sharing of research and ideas, fostering a sense
of community and participation. I found that on the Net people willingly help
each other and work together to define and address issues important to them.
These are often important issues that the conventional media would never
cover.
My initial research concerned the origins and development of the global
discussion forum Usenet. For my second paper, I wanted to explore the larg-
er Net, what it was, and its significance. This is when my research uncovered
the remaining details that helped me recognize the emergence of Netizens.
There are people online who actively contribute to the development of the
ix
x Netizens
Net. These people understand the value of collective work and the commu-
nal aspects of public communications. These are the people who discuss and
debate topics in a constructive manner, who e-mail answers to people and
provide help to newcomers, who maintain FAQ files and other public infor-
mation repositories, who maintain mailing lists, and so on. These are the peo-
ple who discuss the nature and role of this new communications medium.
These are the people who as citizens of the Net I realized were Netizens.
However, these are not all people. Netizens are not just anyone who comes
online. Netizens are especially not people who come online for individual
gain or profit. They are not people who come to the Net thinking it is a ser-
vice. Rather, they are the people who understand it takes effort and action on
each and everyone's part to make the Net a regenerative and vibrant commu-
nity and resource. Netizens are people who decide to devote time and effort
into making the Net, this new part of our world, a better place. Lurkers are
not Netizens, and vanity home pages are not the work of Netizens. While
lurking or trivial home pages do not harm the Net, they do not contribute
either.
The term Netizen has spread widely since it was first coined. The genesis
comes from net culture based on the original newsgroup naming conventions.
Network wide Usenet newsgroups included net.general for general discus-
sion, net.auto for discussion of autos, net.bugs for discussion of unix bug
reports, and so on. People who used Usenet would prefix terms related to the
online world with the word net, similar to the newsgroup terminology. So
there would be references to net.gods, net.cops or net.citizens. My research
demonstrated that there were people active as members of the network, which
the words net citizen do not precisely represent. The word citizen suggests a
geographic or national definition of social membership. The word Netizen
reflects the new non-geographically based social membership. So I contract-
ed net.citizen to Netizen.
Two general uses of the term Netizen have developed. The first is a broad
use to refer to anyone who uses the Net, for whatever purpose.Thus, the term
netizen has been prefixed in some uses with the adjectives good or bad. The
second use is closer to my understanding. This definition is used to describe
people who care about Usenet and the bigger Net and work towards build-
ing the cooperative and collective nature which benefits the larger world.
These are people who work towards developing the Net. In this second case,
Netizen represents positive activity, and no adjective need be used. Both uses
have spread from the online community, appearing in newspapers, magazines,
television, books and other off-line media. As more and more people join the
online community and contribute towards the nurturing of the Net and
Preface xi
towards the development of a great shared social wealth, the ideas and values
of Netizenship spread. But with the increasing commercialization and priva-
tization of the Net, Netizenship is being challenged. During such a period, it
is valuable to look back at the pioneering vision and actions that made the
Net possible and examine the lessons they provide. That is what we have tried
to do in these chapters.
Michael Hauben
New York and Beppu
November 1995
[email protected]

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The story of Netizens is an important one. In conducting research five years

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