Have you heard of the word 'netize'? ST thinks that most people will answer this question with a 'yes.' What, then, is the meaning of 'netizen'? It is a compound word consisting of 'network' and 'citizen.' It means people who use the digital cyberspace in their daily life. The word 'netizen,' however, seems to have several other meanings.
The Strengths of Netizens
A citizen uses the Internet as a venue for participating in the political society. For example, they exchange views therein, provide information, vote, and ensure that policymakers do not abuse their powers. Also, they try to contribute to the Internet's use and growth. As a powerful communication medium, the Internet seems to offer great possibilities for social change. It also creates a new culture. Moreover, today's society is ubiquitous, where advanced devices and tools like the Internet enable the realization of a more convenient and higher-quality life. The Internet makes it possible for us to watch and talk to others anytime, anywhere. Many Internet users have become unlicensed detectives of late, called 'NCSI' ㅡ a combination of 'N' from netizen and 'CSI,' a crime scene investigation team in the U.S. These Internet people have been tasked with identifying the people who are catapulted to the limelight due to scandals or criminal acts. They disclose wrongdoings that will otherwise remain unreported.
The Weaknesses of Netizens
Although as discussed above, there are positive things about the Internet and its users, there are of course also negative things about them. One case illustrates this well. A female student at Kyung Hee University became a 'public enemy' after the daughter of their cleaning woman posted a message on the Internet regarding how her mother was verbally attacked by the student, and after a recording of the incident was uploaded. The recording, which has been copied and circulated on Websites, infuriated Internet users and ignited an online witch hunt. They started unveiling the identity of the allegedly abusive girl, whom they dubbed 'paeryun-nyeo.' This case shows that privacy is no longer respected by people, thanks to the Internet, and that once a suspect is targeted by netizens, there seems to be no escape from them. There is one more illustrative case involving a person at the center of a critical issue who became a victim of a witch hunt by netizens. The rapper Tablo was stigmatized as a diploma forger for a long time before finally being cleared of the allegation. The diploma forgery scandal was fired up by some bloggers who claimed they couldn't find Tablo's name on the list of Stanford graduates, after which a Tablo-bashing online community called 'Tajinyo' was opened. Many netizens joined the online site and launched an investigation to uncover evidence proving that Tablo’s Stanford diploma was fake. As some of the evidences that were obtained seemed valid, Tablo was pushed deeper into the quagmire. Tablo, who really graduated from Stanford, became the object of a malicious Internet rumor that circulated among netizens. This scandal raised the question of whether our society should come up with a solution to the problem of cyberdefamation. In addition to this, cyberbullying has become a big and serious problem in South Korea, with many harassed by groundless and hostile comments from anonymous Internet users. In a worst-case scenario. malicious comments from netizens can drive a celebrity to commit suicide. In recent years, many famous entertainers committed suicide after being harassed by malicious comments from anonymous netizens. Such suicide cases alert our country to the problem of anonymous cyberattacks.
What Are the Solutions?
The Internet has become an important resource in our society. It has provided netizens with a good space for pursuing lofty causes. The ideal of a public space, however, has failed due to online witch hunts and Internet bullying, which involve the posting of malicious comments and Internet articles regarding sensitive subjects. Therefore, ways of reducing the bad effects of the Internet must be sought. Most importantly, 'netiquette' education should be reinforced to establish a sound Internet culture among netizens. Second, a system of real-name confirmation in the Internet should be systematically implemented for verification purposes. Third, as the Internet is value-free technology-wise, ethics are needed to keep it productive and beneficial to all. Lastly, to solve the problems of online witch hunting and Internet bullying, both legal/institutional and ethical rules must be established to regulate the netizens' autonomous reason.
There is a good example for this: Professor Min Byoung-chul's 'Sunfull Movement,' which fights cyberbullying and negative online comments. Sunfull Movement, which is an abbreviation of a phrase that means 'good comments,' is an online campaign that seeks to give encouragement and hope to people who are suffering from malicious comments on online bulletin boards. He hopes to make cyberspace a more civilized space, free from violence and bullying. Please remember that freedom of speech should be guaranteed but that negative comments and groundless rumors posted or spread on the Internet are like a gun as they can do much harm, even kill.
Yang Hyun-ah (ST Reporter)
sc7992@ssu.ac.kr
