Etiquette in technology

Etiquette in technology refers to behavior that is deemed socially acceptable in a digital or online situation. Netiquette is the term that has been coined to apply to the form of etiquette applicable to communication via the internet. An amalgamation of the words network and etiquette, netiquette consists of a set of guidelines for acceptable conduct in cyberspace. Technological advancements, accessibility, and usage of digital devices have changed the norms of social etiquette in communication and relationships. Etiquette is primarily dependent on each culture's definitions and social mores. Members of the society are groomed accordingly, and their social manners and behaviors are ingrained per the culture. The technological explosion has created the need for new rules of etiquette to be formulated and learned.

Background

In a business context, Eilene Zimmerman, writing in the New York Times, tackles the subject of smartphones in the workplace. If a company permits the use of portable electronic devices in the office, these are meant to facilitate work, not for personal use. Multitasking may be achievable; however, the impression it may give in a professional situation is that the user is not focusing with undivided attention on the task at hand. Receiving a phone call or sending text or WhatsApp messages during a business meeting is not thought to be polite or professional. How this manifests in a personal social context is the subject of debate. With regard to business settings, ground rules may be given at the commencement of the meeting or project to indicate what is permitted or favorably viewed pertaining to the use of mobile or other technological devices. There are rules that include "acceptable use" policies governing the use of the internet at work and the retrieval and storage of information. Employees are advised to ascertain these policies and practices and how they pertain to them.

In a social context, pertinent discussions prevail regarding the effects of the ever-increasing types of technological devices for communication and their social media and app counterparts. How do these communication devices affect socialization and socially acceptable behavior (etiquette)? People may open up more when feeling "safe" behind a screen, which may be advantageous or disadvantageous. Technology has also had an effect on in-person communication; to what degree it is acceptable to respond to notifications or otherwise use a smartphone while conversing with someone face to face has been a source of much debate.

Netiquette is the etiquette of internet-based interaction; the concept presupposes that by avoiding pitfalls of unintentional bad manners, the web will be a more comfortable space for all, and offending someone will be less likely to occur. While a number of general guides to netiquette, intended to be relevant to all internet venues, were created in the 1990s and in the first few years of the twenty-first century, by the early 2020s the idea that there should be one universal standard of behavior was not commonly espoused. Rather, different websites and social media platforms have developed their own cultures and their own forms of etiquette.

Etiquette in Technology Today

New technology has provided twenty-first-century citizens with great opportunities and means of instant communication and gathering information. At the same time, this has created a generation requiring a new set of guidelines as to what is appropriate behavior, both online and in the office or socially. These guidelines are evolving as the technology changes.

One of the potentially high-risk factors of online blunders is that these mistakes are mostly permanent. What has been sent in an email or posted on a social media network or on the web may not be possible to remove. Considerable care and vigilance are required to ensure that what is being sent or posted is what the sender or poster would want to be seen by others permanently.

How does online etiquette affect professional career opportunities? There are consequences of management or future employers being privy to social media or online complaints that are written by employees, be it on email or online sites. Likewise, any personal information displayed on social media may be seen by prospective employers. Online etiquette in the business world includes formatting of business communications such as emails. Consider the clarity of the writing, layout and font, vocabulary, and the tone used to deliver the message. Texting abbreviations may not be appropriate for formal business applications or correspondence, and thus it is advisable to check spellings and word formations.

Online university courses often give their students guidelines on how to behave and communicate in class discussions. Communication relying on the written word without the benefit of facial or body language cues or vocal tone can be difficult to interpret correctly, so students must choose their words carefully to maintain a cordial class environment. The use of exclamation marks or writing in capital letters may be unacceptable.

Boundaries and barriers disappearing in the global world have permeated into contemporary life and the inhabited spaces. Cell phones are used on buses, trains, and planes. Etiquette insights include lowering one's voice, using headphones, and attempting to curtail lengthy discussions to avoid disturbing others. Passengers should realize that their conversations or screen work are not private and can be heard or viewed by those around them; thus, that which is confidential is best avoided in public. The idea of unplugging one's technology in social and business contexts out of respect for fellow workers, family, and friends, is a pertinent etiquette guideline. Furthermore, as technology became more and more pervasive in all aspects of society in the twenty-first century, guidelines emerged around multitasking while using technology. For instance, it is generally considered rude to work on one's laptop during an in-person work meeting, or to scroll a social media app like Instagram while in the middle of a one-on-one FaceTime conversation.

The concept of online and digital etiquette became even more crucial with the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020. Because measures for attempting to control the spread of the virus meant that communities and organizations across the world implemented stay-at-home and physical distancing orders, more people than ever relied upon the internet and technology to sustain their work and social activities and communications. Widespread remote work led to greater consideration of how to appropriately conduct virtual meetings and communicate through email and software applications such as Microsoft Teams. Employers and employees became more concerned with etiquette, particularly in the case of video conferencing, as this type of virtual interaction requires adaptations to accommodate the loss of in-person body language interpretation and eye contact as well as disruptive background noise and conversation flow. In many cases, employers became more flexible in terms of etiquette around communication timing and working hours. With schools initially closing to protect students and staff, both teachers and students at all levels, including college and K–12 institutions, were compelled to abruptly and unprecedentedly adjust to educating and learning primarily through virtual means; as teachers changed their approaches in material delivery, they also had to navigate monitoring students' behavior in a virtual setting. At the same time, social media etiquette remained a concern and debates around platforms' guidelines and regulations continued due to increased instances of inflammatory and/or misinforming posts related to topics such as the pandemic and politics.

Bibliography

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