PCK4: MODULE 7 - LESSON 2

Netizenship and
Netiquette in
Online Communities
Jeah Abigail F. Felosofo BEED 3A

Ledgenme G. Funa BSED 3A

The case involved two minor students from a
certain school whose photos were posted on
Facebook. The photos, which were uploaded by
one of their friends, showed the students
drinking and smoking in a bar, and wearing just
undergarments on a street. The photos were
shown by one of the Facebook friends of the
girls to the school officials prompting them to
ban the students from marching in their
graduation rites. According to the school, the
students violated the school code of conduct.

The parents of the students in defense filed a petition for the issuance
of a writ of habeas data and asked the court to order the school to
surrender and deposit all soft and printed copies of the photographs, and
to declare they have been illegally obtained in violation of the
children's right to privacy.
 DISCUSSION

1. After weighing all the information, with whom will

you side to the parents or to the school?

2. What are your reasons for siding with the parents?

the school?
The court dismissed the parent's petition and ruled that,
"The school did not violate the minors' privacy rights."
According to the court, the school cannot be faulted for
being "steadfast in its duty of teaching its students to be
responsible in their dealings and activities in cyberspace,
particularly in [social networks], when it enforced the
disciplinary actions specified in the Student Handbook,
absent a showing that, in the process, it violated the
students' rights.“
The decision of the court stated that the students cannot invoke the
protection attached to the right to informational privacy because the
photos were seen by other student of the school, who in turn showed them
to the computer teacher who reported the incident to the school
authorities. In the language of the court. "The photos, having been
uploaded on Facebook without restrictions as to who may view them, lost
their privacy in some way." The court further added in its ruling that
setting their post privacy to 'Friends Only' is not an assurance that it
can no longer be viewed by another user who is not Facebook friends with
the source of the content. The decision read that, "Without proof that
they placed the photographs subject of this case within the ambit of
their protected zone of privacy, they cannot now insist that they have an
expectation of privacy with respect to the photographs in question.
The decision of the court puts the burden of ensuring
safeguarding privacy online users and expects them to exercise
due diligence in their online dealings and activities.
According to the court, not discounting the role of schools
and parents in disciplining and educating their children to be
good digital citizens, self-regulation is the "best means of
avoiding privacy rights violations." It further issued a
ruling saying that nothing is ever private on Facebook, even
those tagged as private never really escape public viewing,
including unintended audiences.
The Philippines, being considered as social
media capital of the world, has a need to
stress social media education and etiquette
among online users. The interview conducted
with parents and teachers of high school
students in the above example underscored
the need to use social media responsibly.
All agreed for the inclusion of social media
etiquette in the education curriculum either
as a separate subject or integrated in good
manners and right conduct. Social media can
attain many things in terms of social good
(Brutas, 2015). How can social media be used
to affect positive change?
 EXPLORE

While working online we can create a digital tattoo

and we leave digital footprints. We have to remember
that our digital world is permanent, and with each
post, we leave a digital footprint. By doing self-
reflecting before we self-reveal, we are able to
consider how what we share online can impact
ourselves and others ([Link]).

Scrutinizing the term again, a netizen, according to

the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (26 April 2018) is an
active participant in the online community of the
internet. The medical dictionary refers to it as an
internet citizen who uses networked resources, which
connotes civic responsibility and participation.
Thus, netizenship means citizenship in the internet
or in the virtual world.
 As responsible
netizens,
we are all expected to support a healthy interaction on the internet.
A netiquette, or the rules of socially accepted behavior online have
to be observed in writing an email, in texting, and other
communications on the web.
 Etiquette
Guidelines
1. Protect your reputation.

Whether in real or in virtual world,

you are the same person. Do only what
is appropriate and share information
that does not harm you as a person.
 2. Respect others.

Respect begets respect. Treat

everyone with respect even if you
have not seen him/her in person. Be
judicious about what you say on your
own and other's pages.
 3. Express yourself clearly and
use emoticons.

Communication online is difficult because

emotions are not evident during
communication. Miscommunication usually
takes place because your facial expression
and your body language cannot be seen and
the tone of your voice cannot be heard.
Thus, emoticons are readily available to
show your emotions.
4. Remember the intellectual
property.

Ideas online are products of

intelligence of others. If you need
to cite them, acknowledge the
authors. You definitely do not want
to steal properties of others.
 5. Check spelling, grammar
and punctuation.

Since your face cannot be seen online,

you will be judged according to your
posts. Good writing means good manners.
We do not want to waste other people's
time reading our post which is
incomprehensible.
6. Pause before you post.

Take note that whatever you post becomes

permanent therefore think twice or thrice
before you click send.
 7. Do not share your personal
information.

Sharing your personal information online

is like going around the streets wearing a
shirt printed with your name, birthday,
address, name of parents, etc. You
definitely do not want to reveal all these
to many people. Besides, providing all
these publicly will make you prone to
identity theft.
8. Think about who or what
you are representing.

As a son/daughter, you represent

your family. As a student, you
represent your school. You do not
want your family or school to be
put to shame by what you do.
 Each of us has a significant
contribution to the kind of
community we have in the virtual
world. As the Association of
American Medical Colleges (2015 in
www. [Link]) says it,
"We are responsible for the
'public face' that the connected
world sees". Consequently, our
individual digital reputation is
shaped by our posts on social
media.
On the web...

Go to [Link] and explore a lot of

activities on digital etiquette. You can
watch a movie, play a game, take a quiz,
take a challenge, make a map, or create a
movie.

On your own...

Online communication has completely changed

the way we interact with one another.
Practices like flaming and trolling can
transform a friendly message board into a
verbal battleground. How can you fight
online rudeness and help bring courtesy and
respect back to the web? List down your own
internet etiquette in relation to these.

With your peer...

Discuss your own internet guideline with

your peer. Put together your individual
work and create a peer internet etiquette.
EXAMINE
 1. What is netiquette?

A. Manners in dealing with people at parties

B. Appropriate behavior in catching fish

C. Appropriate behavior in interacting with friends

D. Manners in using the internet

2. Which of the following should you not give
out on the internet?

I. name III. bank account

II. Address IV. all of the above

A. I only

B. II only

C. III only

D. I, II, II, IV
 3. How are you judged in cyberspace?

A. By profile picture

B. By posts grammar, statements and comments, and

etiquette

C. By number of friends on social media

D. By activities as revealed by the photos

4. How should you react when a friend posted a picture
you do not like and everybody made fun of it?

A. Quarrel with my friend on social media.

B. Tell the friend to remove the picture.

C. Keep quiet and allow everybody to hurt me.

D. Report to the police station.

 5. As a netizen, who among the following observes
an appropriate netiquette?

A. Anne writes in all caps so that her post can be easily read.

B. Martha writes her posts in complete spelling, grammar and

punctuation.

C. Tracy posts anything that comes to her mind to express

herself.

D. Carlo shares his personal information on social media so

that he will become popular.
6. If someone asks for your home address
online, what should you do?

A. Share it only if you trust the person

B. Share it with anyone who asks politely
C. Politely refuse and explain the importance of
privacy
D. Post it publicly so others can see it too
 7. What is the purpose of using proper
grammar and punctuation in online posts?

A. To impress others with your writing skills

B. To ensure clear communication and show good manners
C. To attract more likes and comments
D. To make your post stand out
 8. You’re writing an email to a teacher.
What is an example of good netiquette?

A. Using casual language and emojis to sound friendly

B. Writing clearly and respectfully with proper grammar
C. Sending a short, unclear message to save time
D. Leaving the subject line blank
9. You find a helpful article online and want to
share it. What is the correct way to do this?

A. Copy the article and post it without mentioning the

author
B. Share it with a link and credit the original source
C. Rewrite it in your own words and claim it as your
idea
D. Post only a portion without context
10. You’re making a social media post. What’s
the first thing you should ask yourself?

A. Will this make people laugh?

B. Will this represent me well online?
C. Will this go viral quickly?
D. Will this attract attention from strangers?
 11. A classmate comments negatively on
your post. How should you respond?

A. Start an argument to defend yourself

B. Delete the comment and block the person
C. Respond politely or ignore the comment
D. Make a post criticizing the classmate
12. While working on a group project online, a teammate
uses a meme that doesn’t align with the topic.
What should you do?

A. Ignore it and move on

B. Suggest replacing it with something more appropriate

C. Complain about their contribution publicly

D. Leave the group chat

 13. What should you do before
posting online?

A. Reflect on whether it could harm you or others

B. Check if it aligns with current trends

C. Ensure it includes personal information

D. Post it immediately for maximum engagement

 14. What does "netizen" mean according to
the Merriam-Webster dictionary?

A. A responsible social media user

B. A citizen who participates actively in the

online community

C. An expert in internet technology

D. A person who avoids using social networks

15. According to the netiquette guidelines,
why should you pause before you post?

A. To ensure your post will gain attention

B. To confirm it aligns with your privacy settings
C. To avoid permanent consequences of thoughtless
sharing
D. To maximize engagement from your friends
 ANSWERS
1. D 6. C 11. C

2. D 7. B 12. B

3. B 8. B 13. A

4. B 9. B 14. B

5. B 10.B 15. C
 THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING ☺