Assignment 6.1: Hunting the Leviathan

In chapter 4 of Wallace’s “Psychology of the Internet,” entitled “Group Dynamics in Cyberspace,” Wallace examines various aspects of the Internet in consideration of concepts derived from social psychology. Comparing the FtF world with the CMC world, specifically, Wallace focuses primarily on group dynamics and conformity. Having established the psychological impetus for conformity in the non-mediated world, Wallace then explains the prevalence of Internet conformity and group polarization. In explaining the occurrence of conformity to social conventions, Wallace cites the Leviathan, a concept proposed by Thomas Hobbes. In his book, the “Leviathan,” Hobbes advocates for a type of social contract, in which all individuals abdicate rights to the will of a sovereign leader. As Wallace states, “conforming to social conventions and adhering to laws that restrict our freedoms are, from a philosophical perspective, things we do to preserve our existence.” Essentially, the Leviathan can be understood to be a power that enforces our adherence to society’s norms and standards. And as Wallace claims, there exists a leviathan on the Internet, “one to which people give up freedoms in order to sustain the medium itself.”
One common social norm on the Internet regards maintaining the proper grammar and punctuation appropriate for a specific medium. In terms of instant messaging, for example, it appears to be a social convention to type in a manner that is less than grammatically sound. Though it is definitely easier to type without focusing on grammar and punctuation, it is amazing to see how a conversation virtually paralyzes if one participant deviates from the conversation style after the social norm was set. This social convention exists outside of instant messaging, as well. The question becomes, therefore, what conversation style is appropriate for each medium? The answer to this question is undoubtedly an ingrained social norm itself. It appears that there exists an online tendency to reciprocate the conversation style from one participant to the other. If the initiator of an IM conversation writes with sound grammar and perfect punctuation, then social norm declares that the receiver reciprocate that same writing style. Though this same social convention applies to e-mails, it appears that the receiver of an email would be more compelled to reciprocate the conversation style, than that of an instant messenger.
In contrast with other areas of the Internet, in which there are moderators who uphold social convention, there is no Leviathan, or explicit power to enforce the adherence of this social norm on the Internet. Whereas moderators can persecute individuals who violate social norms, there clearly is no such force that punishes individuals who do not reciprocate conversation styles on the Internet. Though there is no outside force, however, the concept of the Leviathan amongst conversers enforces the adherence to social norms. For fear of social persecution and embarrassment, which are historic elements of social contract theory, individuals adhere to and perpetuate the unwritten social norm regarding conversation style.