Netizen

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The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words internet and citizen,^[1] as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen".^[2][3][4] It describes a person^[5] actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.^[6][7]

The term also commonly implies an interest and active engagement in improving the internet, making it an intellectual and a social resource,^[5] or its surrounding political structures, especially in regard to open access, net neutrality and free speech.^[8] The term was widely adopted in the mid-1990s as a way to describe those who inhabit the new geography of the internet.^[9] Internet pioneer and author Michael F. Hauben is credited with coining and popularizing the term.^{[5][10][11][12][13]}