Michael Hauben was 12-years-old in 1985. As one of the few thoroughly computer-literate kids at the time, he discovered the vibrant world of BBSs from a computer in his home state of Michigan. This online world of discussion was an alternative to the lack of thoughtful and constrictive thought in his high school. He found the conversations insightful and wondered why the online environment was so different, and so much more intellectually involved than the outside world.

As part of his coursework for his B.A. in computer science at Columbia University, he explored the concept of online citizenship. Taking prefix “net” from the Usenet communities, like net.citizen, he combined the two, coining “netizen.”

Hauben made it clear that netizens do not make up the whole of online populations. Instead, they are the “people who understand it takes effort and action on each and everyone’s part to make the Net a regenerative and vibrant community and resource. netizens are people who decide to devote time and effort into making the Net, this new part of our world, a better place.” The service-seekers and passive participants online, while not harmful, do not contribute to the good and are not netizens.

In Canada’s October federal election, 59 per cent of eligible voters participated. This is a trend reflected in western, liberal democracies where voting is the most geographically widespread, non-mandatory form of civic engagement. The true definition of netizen departs from its offline counterpart in that membership is contingent on active and constructive participation.

While volunteerism in the United States is at an all-time high and philanthropy is up across Canada, citizens of both countries are wary of their governments. In Canada, polls show Canadians are incredibly fearful over the economy and Ottawa’s ability to solve problems. Low civic engagement and distrust of government with high voluntary participation elsewhere in society makes classifying citizenship, beyond birthright or immigration, nuanced.

Pre-modern, philosophic concepts of citizenship see only those who contribute in certain ways as citizens. The Aristotelian stream is often quoted as “to take no part in the running of the community’s affairs is to be either a beast or a god!” Hauben, before his premature death in 2001, brought the standard of constructive citizen participation to the developing forums and communities of the online world, something to keep in mind now that the tools and communities have reached beyond the nascent, becoming extensions of global society.