Online Etiquette is definitely an important aspect of some of the various religious social networks. Some of the more broad social networks such as facebook and myspace may have provided the resources for some specific interest groups to form online communities, but others have felt it necessary to create their own network. There have been incidents of things said and done specifically on these social networks that offended some in the Muslim culture. In retaliation Millat facebook was created, which is similar to the original but obviously catered to those who are apart of the Muslim faith. It is a classic a example of online etiquette having a negative impact, and it seems as though some religious communities see it necessary to try to create an online space void of such behavior. However is may not always work out as planned.
It seems a social network catered to a specific interest group, especially when it comes to faith, would maintain a sense of unity and mutual support but that is not always the case. Some Christian networks have moderators in place to help remind it’s members that their sights were created to bring fellow believers together and not tear them apart. However some sights have become a platform for religious debate. Of course they were not originally created for this reason but a lack of online etiquette has produced this annoying habit. Even those opposed to all faith have chosen to use these religious specific social networks to share their anti-faith opinions with believers. On the other hand, in the same arena there are those of have found some Christian networks to be very inviting and engaging to be able to converse with others who share their common belief. They give them a sense of belonging by welcoming them into their online community. A clear example how good and bad online etiquette can change the opinion of a person’s view of not just the person who is “saying” the words, but the entire sight as a whole.
Sources:
http://techie-buzz.com/tech-news/pakistanis-launch-muslim-facebook-called-millat-facebook.html
I could see how regulating online etiquette in regards to religious websites would be difficult because it is one of those topics that gets people outrageously riled up in you stand in opposition to what they believe, and people are constantly posting inappropriate things. It's hard to try and keep everyone on a path that shows respect for everyone else. Having the moderator in place is probably a good idea but it could easily be turned to say that they may just be removing content that they don't agree with. Either way I think it's a hard issue to deal with
ReplyDeleteJacquelyn Moore