Snert

A Snert is an obnoxious or annoying user of a BBS or online computer role-playing game. Humorous explainations of what "snert" stands for abound, such as "Snotty Nosed Egotistical Rude Teenager" or "Sexually Needy, Emotionally Repressed Troll". Likely the term gained popularity as a combination of "snot" and "nerd".

History

Almost as soon as the Bulletin_board_system arose on the internet in the early 1980s, people used the anonymity provided to act out in ways that would not be acceptable in public. With the advent of MMORPGs in the late 1990s, the number of anonymous internet users interacting, and reacting to others, exploded.

Online Harassment

Typically, the behavior of these individuals falls well short of what would be considered harassment. Behaviors considered "snerty" are Spam the text area of a Bulletin_board_system, following (and attempt to PK) other players in MMORPGs, and "yelling" by typing in all capital letters.

Response by providers and society

An arms race exists between snerts, and the providers of online forums.

Muting and blocking

Snert annoys legitimate user. Provider develops muting. Snert creates new free account. Provider implements tracking of IP address. Snert moves to public library.

Language filtering

Snert annoys legitimate user. Provider develops language filtering. Snerts develop leetspeak.

Legal channels

Communications Decency Act (Enacted by the U.S. Congress on February 1, 1996, declared Unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court June 26, 1997)

Other Uses

"Snert" is also used among certain online groups as an onomatopoetic verb used to convey derision or amusement. Its use in this context probably began as a variation on the word, "snort," which has a similar definition. Those who use "snert" generally consider it to sound more dignified or cynical than "snort," despite the fact that it is not a true word.