Netiquette: The Art of Politeness in the Ukrainian Digital Space

Have you ever wondered how much time a day you spend on your phone? According to a report by the app monitoring company App Annie, the average smartphone screen time in the world is over 5 hours. News, communication, learning—we even use our phones to find a dinner recipe.

Our communication, too, has largely transformed from physical environments into an online form. Naturally, this is faster, as there is no need to spend time traveling to communicate. We receive work tasks in chats or email. Learning takes place in online environments, and communication with friends and family happens through messengers or social media chats.

But did you know that online correspondence has the same rules as physical communication? This is called netiquette, or network etiquette, and failure to follow it can even lead to being blocked.

What is Netiquette?

The term comes from the merging of the English words Net (network) and Etiquette. It is a set of unspoken rules governing communication on the Internet. In the Ukrainian context, netiquette is developing particularly actively. Due to the factor of war and society's desire for rapid information, network etiquette has gained additional factors: safety and efficiency. Telegram culture, instant fundraisers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the transition of business into messengers have fostered a respect for specificity and promptness among Ukrainians.

Components and Principles of Digital Etiquette

Due to the nature of digital communication, people lose the sense of social interaction. The younger generation or people who spend the vast majority of their time online find it difficult to conduct physical communication. Because of this, the main factor of communication—physical interaction—is lost. One of the main rules of netiquette is not to lose the sense of the "person on the other side." Behind every avatar, image, or photo is a real individual with their own emotions and a shortage of time.

Basic Rules of Digital Etiquette

1. Use basic communication rules that you use during physical communication. Do not forget greetings, words of gratitude, apologies, etc. The physical absence of the interlocutor in no way cancels basic etiquette rules.
2. Respect working hours; they should be identical to the real work schedule. The online store where you want to order a dress, colleagues from work, children at school—everyone has a work schedule during which they are busy and cannot provide answers in a timely manner. Therefore, depending on the interlocutor, write during free time or simply wait for a response. For example, if it is an online store or work colleagues, communication should be established exclusively within working hours. If it is friends, relatives, or acquaintances, try to establish communication outside of working hours, or write and wait until the interlocutor has a free moment.
3. Do not send "fragmented" messages. For example, a first message saying "hi" and after some time a second message "how are you?". Formulate your request in a single message in advance to avoid creating inconvenience with excessive notifications.
4. Do not neglect personal time or violate boundaries. If you have a work question and the company has a clear work schedule, there is no need to write on weekends or at night or try to get an answer during off-hours. If you are contacted regardless, you can reply: "I will be able to provide an answer regarding your request during working hours." In this way, you provide a response and clearly outline your own boundaries.
5. Respect the right to private correspondence. Do not share information, photos, or video materials sent to you by an interlocutor with third parties without their consent.
6. If the interlocutor does not respond for a long time, do not try to contact them through all available communication channels. Also, do not try to attract attention by using words in all caps: "ATTENTION!", "THIS IS IMPORTANT". This will only be irritating, and if the content of the message turns out not to be that significant, it will mislead the interlocutor, who will respond less actively to your messages in the future. If you receive a message of this kind, it is better to provide an answer or at least state: "I will look into it as soon as I am free."

How to Properly Structure a Letter or Message?

Thanks to the written form of communication, a unique opportunity arises to pre-form text with subsequent formatting during the communication process. You do not need a wide vocabulary to form precise and high-quality communication, unlike oral interaction in real life. At the same time, it is important to have high spelling skills and adhere to them at the beginning and throughout the correspondence. It is important to follow these rules to appear educated during online communication:

1. Be concise—for example, the KISS principle (Keep It Short and Simple). Try to describe your question as briefly and structured as possible without turning it into a work of fiction. The simpler the text is written, the easier it will be for the reader to perceive and comprehend. Start the message with the main point to specify and shorten the communication, while using clear words and simple grammatical structures.
2. Be literate, use positive vocabulary, and avoid spelling errors. There are many services on the Internet for orthographic and stylistic checking of text before sending. It is important to make it a rule to check text before sending so as not to seem poorly educated in future communication. There are many apps where you can check text for stylistic or spelling errors.
3. Be logical and consistent; adhere to a single style of expressing thoughts. An unstructured format of sentences and communication in general will lead to a reduction or termination of communication activity. You will lose the opportunity to achieve the goal you set before sending the message.
4. Appearance is important in physical communication, but in online communication, this factor is neutralized. Your "appearance" can be considered your literacy, clarity, and quality of communication. The better you form your communication, the more actively and better the interlocutor will respond to you. However, if you do not follow these rules, the interlocutor may be passive or show no desire for communication at all.

Email Etiquette

Despite the large number of communication channels, email remains an active way to interact with people. It is especially relevant in work or business communications. Email often has a more serious character of communication compared to social networks or messengers.

Due to the specifics of E-mail, general netiquette rules are not the same as in other types of internet communication. Often, an inbox contains many spam and advertising messages. A sent letter has no room for error, as it cannot be edited in the future after sending. The rule of pre-checking spelling before sending should come first.

Checklist for Successful Email Communication

1. Define the purpose of writing the letter: whether you want to propose cooperation, find out some information, complain, or thank the interlocutor.
2. Determine the tone of communication. Depending on whom you are addressing, the tone will vary: formal-business, friendly, or informal.
3. Always indicate the subject of the letter in the specific field for this. The subject will help your letter stand out in the general inbox. The probability that the interlocutor will see your letter faster increases several times.
4. Adhere to a clear letter structure. Start with an address or greeting, using the vocative case where appropriate. In the introduction, briefly describe the reason for your contact. In the main part, state the essence of the matter; if the letter is long, divide the text into paragraphs, points, and use structured lists. This will help the reader familiarize themselves with the letter faster and understand the information much better. Make a conclusion summarizing expectations and ask for a reply. At the end of the letter, do not forget to say goodbye and, if necessary, leave your contact information.
5. Pre-check before sending the letter. Re-read the written letter from the position of the recipient: how convenient is it to read? Is the purpose of communication clear? Was all the necessary information laid out in the letter? If there are errors, be sure to correct them and place punctuation marks throughout the text.

Netiquette as a Path to Successful Communication in the Internet Environment

Following the rules of digital etiquette is the fastest way to gain trust in the Ukrainian environment. Online politeness and adherence to these rules will help not only establish communication but also potentially build friendly relations with the interlocutor in the future.

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