Many people have noticed that the normal rules of etiquette don't seem to apply online. The language is rougher, the spirit meaner, the rules for civility a whole lot looser. It appears that this tendency is only going to get stronger in the future:
WASHINGTON — Is it ever OK to tweet that a girl's a "slut"? How about using an offensive name for gays on Facebook? Or texting a racial slur? Most young people think it's all right when friends are joking around with each other, according to a new poll.
Jaded by the Internet free-for-all, teens and 20-somethings shrug off offensive words and name-calling that would probably appall their parents, teachers or bosses. And an Associated Press-MTV poll shows they don't worry much about whether the things they tap into their cellphones and laptops could reach a wider audience and get them into trouble.
I wonder if this is something new or a case of technology just making old habits more noticeable. People have always talked one way among friends and peers and another way in more mixed settings, and the young are more likely to exhibit that dichotomy than adults. But if it truly is the case that they think "what's online doesn't matter," some of them are going to be in for a rude awakening one of these days.
