Cybercitizens

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A member of an online community who actively participates in digital spaces and upholds the norms of virtual citizenship in the internet culture
2. Individuals engaging in the digital world who contribute to online social, political, and economic discussions while embodying the principles of responsible internet use
3. Participants in the cyberspace who exercise their rights and responsibilities as digital users, advocating for issues pertinent to online freedoms and digital ethics

Etymology: "Cybercitizens" is the plural of "cybercitizen," formed from the prefix "cyber-" joined to "citizen." The prefix comes from "cybernetics," the study of control and communication in machines and living things, which was itself built from the Greek "kybernetes," meaning steersman or pilot. Through that route, "cyber-" came to mean anything relating to computers, networks and the internet. The compound follows the older pattern of "citizen," which in English has long meant a member of a community with rights and duties attached to belonging to it. Attaching "cyber-" shifts that community from a town or nation to the online space, so a cybercitizen is someone who holds the same kind of standing within digital networks. The meaning therefore rests on the two parts working together rather than on any single coinage.

Synonyms: netizens, online users, internet users, digital citizens, web users