Online communities often have a set of rules and regulations that all users are expected, and in most cases required, to follow. These rules are enforced by what Patricia Wallace, author of The Psychology of the Internet, calls a Leviathan. The term, Leviathan, is derived from the writings of Thomas Hobbes, and refers to those whom we give certain authoritative powers, in exchange for certain personal freedoms, in order to create an environment which is safe and consistent.
One online community were the Leviathan can be seen in action is Goosemoose Pet Portal. This community was designed to provide a forum through which members can discuss different aspects of pet care. The most active forum on Goosemoose is the Rats Rule! forum, where members discuss the care of their pet rats.
Like many online spaces Goosemoose has “a sign on the door”, as Wallace would say. The sign on the door is a set of rules that all members are supposed to read and follow, or else risk being reprimanded by the Leviathan, in this case the moderators, of that particular online space. When these rules are broken by a member, the brow will be arched, and reproaches will be made. These reproaches range from gentle reminders to accounts being banned.
The first example of a reproach on this website can be seen when people attempted to post comments in a thread that is for pictures only. The violation was minor, so the punishment was too. The moderator merely stated, as a reminder, that the comments were not allowed in this section, and then preceded to remove them. The violation was the result of ignorance, rather than malicious intent or unwillingness to conform to the rules of the group.
The second example occurred when a member made a statement that was highly offensive to others. The member said that their rats died because they didn’t feed them, and then placed a smiley face at the end of their post. Considering that this online community is for rat, and animal, lovers, the responses were immediate and intense. The members began yelling, via text of course, at the perpetrator, expressing a range of emotions, including vehement anger and genuine sadness. The original poster would respond with more insensitive and infuriating posts, inciting stronger reactions from the other members. Finally the moderators stepped in, and banned the trouble maker’s account. The message was clear: conform to the rest of the community or risk being kicked out.
Members of Goosemoose give up some of their personal freedoms, for example the ability to post comments in any thread they like, in order to create a Leviathan that enforces a certain amount of conformity within the group. This conformity provides a space relatively free from distress for all members, fostering an online community that is healthy and inviting.
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