The unwritten rules that govern the Internet and social media

Unwritten rules of the Internet and social media: how to use them to protect your brand

Every time we use the Internet, we keep these unwritten laws or rules in mind without even realizing it. The Internet has become a place in its own right, and like a country, it has its own laws and customs.

When we talk about guidelines to follow for brands, we do so because we understand the impact of taking one action over another. Things we all know, but without noticing it. For example, on the Internet, if you try to hide or censor something, people will upload and spread it out of "revenge" to produce the opposite effect. This is related to the network effect and how viral marketing behaves on social media. These rules should be integrated into your marketing plan and your communication strategy to better manage your digital presence and protect your brand identity. These rules are part of your social media plan and content strategy, improving engagement with your target audience and strengthening your brand through digital marketing.

The origin of the unwritten laws of the Internet

The origin of the unwritten laws of the Internet is hard to pin down. A "deep Internet" forum called 4Chan documented (in 2007) fifty points to follow and know about the Internet. Earlier, the term "Netiquette," or "Net etiquette," emerged: a set of social conventions to make interaction across networks easier. Among them:

Avoid posting the same thing everywhere
Don't "spam"
Avoid using all caps continuously
...

Terms we already know or have learned in one way or another.

The first "Yahoo! Answers" question searching for the unwritten Rules or Laws of the Internet was posted months after the 4chan thread. It was linked to Encyclopedia Dramatica, a site that copies Wikipedia but with memes and Internet culture. A wiki-style site was set up for the Rules of the Internet in order to document every rule circulating around the web.

The site was archived for the first time a year later with 180 rules collected. The site kept storing them, reaching more than 900 over the following years. The very need and interest in documenting them created the 47, 100... unwritten laws of the Internet.

Notable Rules or Laws

The Streisand effect

Any attempt to censor, remove, or chase down information on the Internet will turn into the exact opposite: an effort by users to spread that information through every possible channel.

Typically, these censorship attempts are met with speed. First, the content is downloaded by a large number of users, and quickly.

Next, users proceed to share the content among themselves (and in a decentralized way). Social media and small online newspapers are the most visible and censorable surface. But there are many lower, more robust layers, like the P2P systems that services such as Ares or Emule were based on. The last resort is hidden forums (like those on the dark web) or content sent directly between users.

To truly censor content effectively, it isn't enough just to take it down; the act has to go unnoticed, or spreading it has to feel intimidating.

The Wadsworth constant

The first 30% of any content can be skipped because it contains no interesting information or anything worth waiting for.

This constant was named after its creator, Wadsworth, on Reddit. He was referring to YouTube videos, but it can be extended to more than just that content. It holds that with greetings to the video's audience, intros, and filler words, the "juice" of the video is always further along.

It's curious how our own behavior reflects this. When we want to quickly read an article or watch a video, we always skip a few seconds ahead.

The topic-closing theorem

An intelligent post is less likely to receive replies than a less intelligent/dumb one.

A post that believes itself to be intellectually superior, but is exactly the opposite, represents a huge attack vector on social media. In part, it can be seen as an opportunity to establish respect and superiority.

But the reality is that there's a limit: if you're too "pedantic," people will attack you for precisely that.

The law of FAQs / Go Faq Yourself

The most repeated questions in posts/comments have already been answered and are compiled in a Frequently Asked Questions section, or FAQs.

If we read the vast majority of questions asked to accounts, almost all of them have already been resolved in one way or another. That's why we recommend a certain structure on websites and social media. It also depends a lot on the type of person, but if it's visible, it saves a lot of time and effort.

How to apply these Internet rules to your brand strategy

If you manage a brand on social media or in digital environments, these unwritten rules of the Internet can be integrated into your day-to-day in several ways:

1. Think about the Streisand effect before reacting

   • Before trying to delete or censor something, consider whether the community's reaction won't make it worse.
   • In many cases it's better to handle the situation as a reputation crisis with transparency and speed.

2. Respect the Wadsworth constant in your content

   • Get straight to the point in your videos, articles, and posts: cut empty intros.
   • This fits with best practices for readability and SEO content, where the key information appears early.

3. Account for the topic-closing theorem on social media

   • Don't get into ego wars or "intellectual battles" that only seek attention.
   • Prioritize clear, empathetic, solution-oriented responses, not winning arguments.

4. Create and maintain a good FAQ system

   • Document repeated questions on your website, blog, or KB, linking to broader resources when needed.
   • This saves support time and improves the user experience, as we see in many articles in your Knowledge Base.

5. Keep each community's culture and netiquette in mind

   • A specialized forum, a Discord server, and a Twitter thread are not the same.
   • Adapt your tone and your rules to each context, but always respecting basic principles of respect and clarity.

Understanding these rules lets you design a smarter digital presence, reducing risks and making better use of the Internet's own dynamics. These rules should be integrated into your marketing plan and your digital communication strategy to better manage your brand on social media.

A quick protocol when a conversation gets complicated

• Assess the real reach before responding in the heat of the moment.
• Post a clear, verifiable stance in a single thread.
• Answer critical questions with a firm tone and no confrontation.
• Document learnings to adjust internal community guidelines.