Being a Good Netizen

Thoughts on netizenship, what it means to me, and some practical steps I'm taking to be a better netizen.

personal internet
· February 6, 2026 · 2 min read

Andrej Karpathy recently tweeted about using RSS again, and it resonated deeply with me. I realized that I went from being a netizen, to a lurker.

Netizen

There is a clear distinction between netizens and people who come online to use the internet. A netizen is described as an individual who actively seek to contribute to the development of the internet.[14] Netizens are not individuals who go online for personal gain or profit, but instead actively seeks to make the internet a better place.

As they say..

You are what you eat.. read..

I’m sure I’m not the only one guilty of consuming way too many shorts, reels and toks..otherwise Netflix wouldn’t be changing the way screen plays are written.

Something’s got to change.

Here’s what I’m doing..

  1. Installed NNW on my Desktop and Phone, using iCloud sync.
  2. Subscribed to some old and new authors whose long form articles I enjoy reading.
  3. Try to stop doom scrolling on social media.
  4. I’ve added a blogroll and a link blog to this site
  5. Be deliberate about working on my Projects

I’d love your suggestions on who else to follow, hopefully they have a blog or a podcast that I can enjoy.

PS:

Andrej’s post also made me realize that NetNewsWire is back and better than ever. Welcome back Brent Simmons.