#6-option 1: Lookin' pretty on dating websites is basically a norm these days

A social norm or convention that you often see online is people putting up very attractive pictures of themselves on dating websites and lying about their personal information. While this certainly does not necessarily apply to everyone, from the research Catalina went over in class, it is pretty clear that an overwhelmingly large percentage of people follow this social norm. On a website where everyone is trying to attract someone of the opposite (or same) sex, it is natural that this behavior would develop. Conformity is an important way to “fit in” and be well received by other members of the dating community, and the Leviathan helps one make the right decisions as to having a successful profile
When meeting someone for the first time you can use verbal cues, nonverbal cues, and your winning personality to make someone be attracted to you. On a website, however, "what you see is what you get"..or at least, expect to get. Everyone is judged on their picture and the information they provide, which inevitably leads people to want to conform to a successful style of making a profile. Wallace wrote that conformity can often times be weakened on the internet, but "it can also show itself in the emergence of group norms." She used the example of how people conform their writing styles in email to others. Thus, on these dating websites the same concept can be seen. People may write a lot of information about themselves or less information about themselves, or only provide certain information, based on how other people present their information. Also, once everyone is putting up a beautiful/handsome picture, most people want to make sure they look attractive and stand out as well. They may also learn what tactics of presenting themselves are most successful by conforming to the style of other people’s profiles. Perhaps when copying the style of having a fantastic picture and witty self descriptions, they receive more attention from prospective daters.
However, while some social norms develop through conformity and personal learning, other rules of the social norm are learned through the “sign on the door” that is provided by one of the Leviathans. As Wallace explains, the Leviathan is the person in charge of making important decisions that people follow. The website owners and moderators of these dating websites are the Leviathans because they make the regulations that one must follow to be on the site. For example, when signing up to be on a dating site, you often have to sign a Terms and Conditions contract. These state the rules that one must follow that have been set out by the Leviathan, and failure to follow these codes of conduct will get you kicked off the site. This contract that one must sign in order to register is essentially the “sign on the door” that Wallace discussed. They give the rules of no one under the age of 18 can sign up, no phone numbers or addresses can be provided, no profanity can be used etc. This extensive list of rules not only sets some standards of behavior, but also makes one aware of the Leviathan and his power.
Other members off the online dating community, however, can also be viewed as Leviathans. They set the standard for what is a “normal” personal profile. As I was saying before how people want to conform their profile styles to others, part of the reason may be because of the “punishment” they receive from their Leviathan peers. For example, if people stray from the social norms of putting up a nice picture, and instead post one of themselves with a weird and ugly face, they may see the effects immediately. They may not receive any emails from interested people or have many visits to their profile page. The same could be true if they provide very limited and impersonal information about themselves. In a way, being ignored is the same as having “someone arch their eyebrow at you” as Wallace explained. Although providing limited information or posting a silly picture are not unacceptable, the response from others could encourage a person to want to conform. Maybe one day these sites will evolve to have personal videos, and then people can use other tactics to show others their true personality!

My Comments:
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