Editing Netizen

{{Short description|"Internet citizen"; a person involved in Internet communities}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Wiktionary}}

The term '''''netizen''''' is a [[portmanteau]] of the [[English language|English]] words ''[[internet]]'' and ''[[citizen]]'',<ref name="Vendetti2020">{{cite book|author=Tyler Vendetti|title=The Illustrated Compendium of Weirdly Specific Words: Including Bumbledom, Jumentous, Spaghettification, and More|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FabODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT70|date=3 March 2020|publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]]|isbn=978-1-73251-266-5|pages=70–|access-date=March 28, 2021|archive-date=May 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507032245/https://books.google.com/books?id=FabODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT70|url-status=live}}</ref> as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Seese|first1=Michael|isbn=978-1600051326|page=130|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3noNR3IfSpgC&q=citizen+of+the+net&pg=PA130|title=Scrappy Information Security|year=2009|publisher=Happy About |access-date=5 June 2015|archive-date=September 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905151414/https://books.google.com/books?id=3noNR3IfSpgC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=citizen+of+the+net|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hauben|first1=Michael|title=The Expanding Commonwealth of Learning: Printing and the Net|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/CS/printing.txt|website=columbia.edu|access-date=5 June 2015|archive-date=May 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501082710/http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/CS/printing.txt|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hauben|first1=Michael F.|title=The Netizens and Community Networks - Presented at the Hypernetwork '95 Beppu Bay Conference|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/text/bbc95spch.txt|access-date=6 June 2015|date=24 November 1995|archive-date=October 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009111930/http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/text/bbc95spch.txt|url-status=live}}</ref> It describes a person<ref name="amelia">{{cite web|last1=DeLoach|first1=Amelia|title=What Does it Mean to be a Netizen?|url=http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/sep/callnet.html|access-date=6 June 2015|date=September 1996|archive-date=January 11, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970111062019/http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/sep/callnet.html|url-status=live}}</ref> actively involved in [[Online community|online communities]] or the Internet in general.<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/netizen ''netizen''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421223939/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/netizen |date=April 21, 2012 }}, Dictionary.com</ref><ref name=Hauben>[http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x01 ''The Net and Netizens by Michael Hauben''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604214312/http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x01 |date=June 4, 2011 }}, Columbia University.</ref>

The term also commonly implies an interest and active engagement in improving the internet, making it an intellectual and a social resource,<ref name="amelia"/> or its surrounding political structures, especially in regard to [[open access]], [[net neutrality]] and [[Freedom of speech#The Internet and information society|free speech]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212636,00.html |title=''What is netizen? definition'' |access-date=October 2, 2011 |archive-date=April 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429115816/http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212636,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The term was widely adopted in the mid-1990s as a way to describe those who inhabit the new geography of the internet.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thompson|first1=Steven John|title=Global Issues and Ethical Considerations in Human Enhancement Technologies|date=April 30, 2014|isbn=978-1466660106|page=4|publisher=IGI Global |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DBGXBQAAQBAJ&q=netizen+inhabit&pg=PA4|access-date=6 June 2015}}</ref> Internet pioneer and author [[Michael F. Hauben]] is credited with coining and popularizing the term.<ref name="amelia"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Butler|first1=Simon|title=Michael F. Hauben|url=http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/your_columbians/michael_hauben.html|website=c250.columbia.edu|access-date=6 June 2015|archive-date=August 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814060737/http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/your_columbians/michael_hauben.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hauben|first1=Ronda|title=Internet PIONEER Michael Hauben|url=http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/IEC/hauben.html|website=edu-cyberpg.com|access-date=6 June 2015|archive-date=January 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122200440/https://edu-cyberpg.com/IEC/hauben.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="heise">{{cite web|last1=Horvath|first1=John|title=Death of a Netizen|url=http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/9/9180/1.html|publisher=Heise Online|access-date=6 June 2015|date=27 July 2001|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924162800/http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/9/9180/1.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="regis">{{cite web|last1=Orlowski|first1=Andrew|title=Michael Hauben, Netizen mati, dies|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/30/michael_hauben_netizen_dies/|publisher=The Register|access-date=6 June 2015|date=30 June 2001|archive-date=August 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810133714/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/30/michael_hauben_netizen_dies//|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Determining factor==<!--/Explanations from ... on what a Neitzen is-->
In general, any individual who has access to the internet has the potential to be classified as a netizen. In the 21st century, this is made possible by the global connectivity of the internet. People can physically be located in one country but connected to most of the world via a global network.<ref name="heise"/>

There is a clear distinction between netizens and people who come online to use the internet. A netizen is described as an individual who actively seek to contribute to the development of the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Netizen? |url=http://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-a-netizen.htm |access-date=2022-08-31 |website=Easy Tech Junkie |language=en-US}}</ref> Netizens are not individuals who go online for personal gain or profit, but instead actively seeks to make the internet a better place.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hauben|first1=Michael|last2=Hauben|first2=Ronda|title=Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet|isbn=978-0-8186-7706-9|pages=2–3|url=http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/66/08186770/0818677066-1.pdf|chapter=Preface: What is a Netizen|date=May 11, 1997|publisher=Wiley |access-date=June 6, 2015|archive-date=February 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212194809/http://media.johnwiley.com.au/product_data/excerpt/66/08186770/0818677066-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="heise"/>

A term used to classify internet users who do not actively contribute to the development of the internet is "[[lurker]]". Lurkers cannot be classified as netizens, as although they do not actively harm the internet, they do not contribute either.<ref>{{cite web|last1=DeLoach|first1=Amelia|title=What is a Netizen?|url=http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/sep/netizen.html|access-date=6 June 2015|date=September 1996|archive-date=July 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710233024/http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/sep/netizen.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=The need for a Netizens Association|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/text/netizen-a-call.html|access-date=8 July 2015|date=March 1996|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924053200/http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/text/netizen-a-call.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hauben|first1=Michael|last2=Hauben|first2=Ronda|title=What is a Netizen?|url=http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/606/527|journal=First Monday|access-date=8 July 2015|date=November 1995|doi=10.5210/fm.v3i7.606|archive-date=July 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709182603/http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/606/527|url-status=live |doi-access=free |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Besides, lurkers seemed to be more critical of the technological elements enabling communities whereas posters appeared to be more critical of users who hampered community creation by making rude or unpleasant comments. Additionally, discussions indicate that both lurkers and posters had distinct motives for lurking and might modify their engagement behaviours based on how they understand the community from various online groups, despite the fact that engagement between those who post and those who lurk was different in the communities studied.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhu |first1=Jiawen |last2=Dawson |first2=Kara |date=2023-04-05 |title=Differences in sense of community and participation between lurkers and posters in informal online education-related communities |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2023.2196571 |journal=Behaviour & Information Technology |volume=43 |issue=5 |pages=929–942 |doi=10.1080/0144929x.2023.2196571 |s2cid=257993277 |issn=0144-929X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==In China==<!--or "Usage of the term/word in China?-->
{{See also|Internet in China}}{{Expand Chinese|date=April 2024|topic=cult|section=yes}}
In [[Mandarin Chinese]], the terms ''wǎngmín'' ({{zh|t=網民|s=网民}}, literally "netizen" or "net folks") and ''wǎngyǒu'' ({{zh|t=網友|s=网友}}, literally "net friend" or "net mate") are commonly used terms meaning "internet users", and the English word ''netizen'' is used by [[mainland China]]-based [[English language]] media to translate both terms, resulting in the frequent appearance of that English word in media reporting about China, far more frequently than the use of the word in other contexts.<ref name=":0">Brian Fung, "[https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/netizen-why-is-this-goofy-sounding-word-so-important-in-china/263245/ 'Netizen': Why Is This Goofy-Sounding Word So Important in China?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116002158/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/netizen-why-is-this-goofy-sounding-word-so-important-in-china/263245/ |date=November 16, 2017 }}", ''The Atlantic'', 11 October 2012</ref><ref>Matt Schiavenza, "[https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/09/enough-with-the-word-netizen/279969/ Enough with the word "Netizen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729043129/https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/09/enough-with-the-word-netizen/279969/ |date=July 29, 2018 }}", ''The Atlantic'', 25 September 2013</ref>

== Netizen Prize==
{{main|Reporters Without Borders#Netizen Prize}}
The international nonprofit organisation [[Reporters Without Borders]] awards an annual [[Reporters Without Borders#Netizen Prize|Netizen Prize]] in recognition to an internet user, [[blogger]], [[cyber-dissident]], or group who has helped to promote freedom of expression on the internet.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Day Against Cyber-Censorship: new "Enemies of the Internet" list |url=https://en.rsf.org/nawaat-reporters-without-borders-11-03-2011,39776.html |website=rsf.org |access-date=6 June 2015 |date=11 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628212148/http://en.rsf.org/nawaat-reporters-without-borders-11-03-2011%2C39776.html |archive-date=28 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Netizen Prize 2012: nominees |url=https://en.rsf.org/netizen-prize-2012-27-02-2012,41938.html |access-date=6 June 2015 |date=27 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421213301/http://en.rsf.org/netizen-prize-2012-27-02-2012%2C41938.html |archive-date=21 April 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Manea|first1=Elham|title=Reporters Without Borders award Raif Badawi the Netizen Prize for 2014|url=http://gmablog.org/2014/11/05/reporters-without-borders-award-raif-badawi-the-netizen-prize-for-2014/|website=gmablog.org|access-date=6 June 2015|date=5 November 2014|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215131344/https://gmablog.org/2014/11/05/reporters-without-borders-award-raif-badawi-the-netizen-prize-for-2014/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==<!--(could also be renamed to "related concepts")-->
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Digital citizen]] – citizens (of the physical space) using the Internet as a tool in order to engage in society, politics, and government participation<ref>Mossberger, Karen. "Digital Citizenship - The Internet, Society and Participation" by [[Karen Mossberger]], [[Caroline Tolbert|Caroline J. Tolbert]], and Ramona S. McNeal. 23 November 2011. {{ISBN|978-0819456069}}</ref>
* [[Digital native]] – a person who has grown up in the information age
* [[Netiquette]] – social conventions for online communities
* [[Cyberspace]] – the new societal territory that is inhabited by Netizens
* [[Information Age]]
* [[Internet age]]
* [[Internet culture]]
* [[Network society]]
* [[Active citizenship]] – the concept that citizens have certain roles and responsibilities to society and the environment and should actively participate
* [[Social Age]]
* [[List of Internet pioneers]] – those who helped erect the theoretical and technological foundation of the Internet (instead of improving its content, utility or political aspects)
* [[Participatory culture]] – a culture in which the public does not act merely as consumers and voters, but also as contributors, producers and active participants
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|first1=Michael |last1=Hauben |first2=Ronda |last2=Hauben|first3=Tom |last3=Truscott|title=Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet (Perspectives)|publisher=Wiley-IEEE Computer Society P|date=1997-04-27|isbn=0-8186-7706-6|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/text/WhatIsNetizen.html The Mysterious Netizen]

[[Category:Information society]]
[[Category:Information Age]]
[[Category:Internet terminology]]
[[Category:Social influence]]
[[Category:Cyberspace]]
[[Category:Hyperreality]]
[[Category:Virtual communities]]
[[Category:Citizenship]]