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Is Online Behavior Different?
 It is possibly a bit obvious to say that the web has indeed changed the way we live. While running around out there in cyberspace you can play games, socialize, interact and conduct business with many other activities blending and entwining in their lives so much that it may have begun to collide with offline activities. That brings us to the fact that while online you should always consider your etiquette and behavior.
This may be vital because offline activities tend to become connected with the Internet allowing the lines between offline and online in lives may become a little blurry. Now instead of using a phone you can just chat with someone online, rather than actually writing letters and sending it “snail mail” you can email someone with the click of button. Instantaneous communications has definitely changed the way you send messages and that may possibly impact etiquette and behavior.
 There can be some misunderstanding in this type of communication as one may come across as being rude or curt since text really does not convey the nuance and tone behind the message adequately. Some of the misunderstanding has been cleared up slightly with the arrival of smileys or MSN emoticons on the scene. They do have some that are obviously intended for adults, but on the whole they are cute and actually pretty expressive.
However, this transformation began so quickly and society is blindly moving along with these changes sometimes without giving very much thought to the consequences of their actions. It seems that when the message appears letting you know you are connected some people forget that the Internet is not just text and pictures and sign in with an attitude that since they are online it is like a free pass for all of their inexcusable behavior.
People have been stalked, manipulated and bullied over the Internet yet if the same types of situations were actually taking place in the outside world many of those events would likely never occur; making it seem like people feel that signing in online is a "free pass" to behave in a way that they would ordinarily never use in their outside personal lives.
Perhaps people feel that it is appropriate to act this way because of the notion that the computer screen is an innate object and throwing around cruel or hurtful words really doesn’t cause any harm failing to realize that there are real people on the other side with genuine feelings which are affected by their behavior.
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