Trying to find an individual who has grown up in household with a computer, who is not currently a member of any online social network such as facebook, myspace, or online dating sites is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. A few years ago, the opposite statement was true: trying to find an individual who was proudly part of an online social network was certainly not a common occurrence. However in the past few years social networking online has boomed, and become an integral part of the everday lives of most people of a certain age and social status. To be recognized as part of college communities, it is almost socially mandatory to join facebook. To be recognized as an acceptable member of a gaming network, one must join gaming groups and communicate with other members using a certain "netiquette." What I find particularly interesting about the escalation of these online social networks is the degree to which revealing private information online has become a social norm, accepted by all members of a specific online social network.
Take for example, facebook, which started by revealing only generic contact information about individuals wanting to keep in touch with old friends. Little by little, the network has expanded. People reveal their likes and dislikes, photos of themselves, social networks in which they are involved, and even their sexual orientation and status. Not long ago, revealing such private information online was seen as taboo... it was reserved for those weird computer geeks. However today, revealing such information about oneself in an online space is considered more than normal, almost mandatory. For those who haven't been able to access facebook in the past, other online social networks such as myspace have allowed individuals of all ages and backgrounds to reveal these details about themselves, while learning such details about others. Online dating sites went as far as posting height, weight, and race in one's profile, allowing people to pass judgement on one's physical being without having met each other. Yet today, all these instances are considered part of the social norm.
The Leviathan, as defined by Wallace, is the power that enforces our adherance to society's norms and standards. But for an example such as publicly revealing private information in online social networks, who is holding this power and why are we all so eagerly conforming to these standards? I think that the answer lies partially in the size of the user base, which has grown exponentially in recent years. If everybody is doing it, it must be the norm right? But why is this? According to the Social Identity/Deindividuation (SIDE) theory, what social network you belong to determines the most about you. Online social networks provide a space in which individuals can both relate to others based on common (or different) group memberships and thus establish individual salience, while simultaneously providing a space
where a much larger degree of personal anonymity exists. Revealing personal information in online social networks is a perfect model for the SIDE theory-- which netwrok you are a part of and what you choose to reveal about yourself, are what define you as an online individual.
The power of online social networking lies not only in the pressure from people around us to join, but also from the large number of media through which we advertise and encourage the use of such networks. Thus, in our hunt for the Leviathan, we can identify advertisement as a large player in the movement to make revealing personal information online socially acceptable. Watching commercials an TV for online dating sites, hearing news stories on the radio, ads in newspapers... the infiltration of private online netwroks into other facets of our everyday lives have proven its popularity, its necessity for working individuals, and thus its power.
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2 comments:
Katie, you have written a very interesting and insightful blog. I would not have thought to consider revealing ourselves online as conforming to a social norm, but I definitely see your clearly written point. However, I feel that your statements coincide more with the SIDE theory, which you mentioned, than the Leviathan. Members of the online community are conforming to social norms because it is what their friends are doing, such as posting pictures of themselves and writing messages for the world to see on Facebook. Nobody wants to be that person who doesn't have a Facebook, and therefore we consider ourselves an ingroup. However, I am left a little unclear on where you think the Leviathan is in these online spaces. Who is the Leviathan and what happens to those who are not conforming to the social norms? I think these would have been good questions to answer as well.
Hello Katie,
Your blog is indeed very interesting. I would never have even considered the daily activities we all are guilty of taking part in on Facebook or MySpace to be social conformity. Your ideas are very correct. In order to be accepted by some of our peers, we have to include "marketable" information that makes us appear interesting and appealing. However, I'm going to have to agree with Sophia--I feel as if your argument regarding the SIDE theory does not match your example. Also, I like how you try to introduce the idea of the Leviathan in relating how people disclose personal information as a social norm. But exactly how is this "norm" enforced and who exactly enforces it?
Other than that, you did a good job. Thanks for making me think twice about why I am disclosing details on Facebook/MySpace!
-Joshua Navarro
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