Facebook as a social networking site has several social norms in regards to the wall, group, messages, pokes, etc. For many of these norms the Leviathan is the administrators of facebook, threatening to not allow you assess to the site if you break any rules in regards to posting. However, today, facebook has become so popular that even outside groups are enforcing online actions. An example is sororities. Every sorority has a national chapter who basically watches over all the different chapters across the country. Today, nationals are now looking at sorority members’ facebook pictures and profiles and have communicated to chapter presidents that all members must only have pictures, info about themselves that portray them individually “in a good light.” According to nationals, every individual member reflects the sorority as an entity and therefore all facebook actions must be appropriate according to their standards. Nationals have communicated this message through email and letters to chapter presidents, who in turn notify the entire sorority.
The example of the sorority national’s role in facebook applies to many of the concepts Wallace discusses in Chapter 4. Interestingly the example of a sorority is a group FTF and also online nationally connecting all chapters. If all sorority members act ladylike and according to sorority standards on campus, why would they need to be even more controlled online? As explained by Wallace and proved by Asch’s experiment “a computer mediated environment strips away some of the features that contribute to our tendency to conform in a group setting. Physical presence is absent…” Therefore in this case in order to maintain the image of the sorority, an enforcement or person to make sure all are conforming to social norms must be in place. Wallace defines this entity as the Leviathan and in this case it is the sorority’s nationals. Nationals make the rules the sorority has to follow consequences of not abiding could be anything from a verbal warning to limited social events. Also explained by Wallace, the verbal warning is an example of the arched eyebrow, a gently way to remind the sorority member they must follow the facebook rules, whereas limited social events could be a reproach if behavior does not improve.
As explained in Chapter 4, when conforming, we give up individual freedoms for greater societal goods/rights. Members in this case give up the individual right to post inappropriate information for the better of the sorority overall. Older women who were in the sorority years ago want to maintain the same image. Wallace explains the need for the Leviathan is even greater now because “the growing realization that our contributions to the net are not as fleeting, not as difficult to trace, as many had supposed.” Knowing the facebook could be accessed by anyone, maintaining content becomes even more important for groups.
4 comments:
Katelyn, your post was really great! In my sorority we recently had a discussion how we should look over our facebooks and make sure we’re presenting ourselves in a positive, fun light, and to make sure no inappropriate things were associated with us. In fact, they said if council stumbled upon a girls profile with inappropriate pictures or phrases, she would be sent to the standards board. So this Leviathan that exists online, definitely has an impact on how we live our lives in the real world. If I don’t give up my right to say whatever I’d like on facebook, and I choose to post something inappropriate, then nationals (the leviathan) could hurt my standing in my sorority. The fear of being punished by this leviathan changes our actions.
Hi Katelyn,
Your post about the Nationals acting as a Leviathan for sororities is a good example why people conform to the social norm. However, in your case the Nationals can regulate the internet and the sorority life outside the internet. I wonder if the Nationals also regulate other internet material other than Facebook, such as blogs and personal websites of the sorority members. Also, your point about the warning that the Nationals give can be seen as a reproach episode according to Wallace, and so the sorority has a chance to conform or get punished by having less events for the semester. Finally, I thought your point about the sorority girls acting 'ladylike' on campus was funny and that the Nationals, by being a Leviathan, try to hold up that image online as well and make sure that the members conform to the norm in regular society.
Hey Kateyln,
So I must say that I think the angle you took on this assignment was very unique. You combined how one Leviathan manages to set rules in multiple ways and that the consequences are not just online but can also mean a trip to the board. Being in a sorority and having friends in other sororities, I think that the there is somewhat of an individual aspect you surrender when you become a sister and part of the family. However, I never thought of it as being a Leviathan sort of thing which I completely agree. The way you related the Leviathan from having controls on and off the Internet and I will definitely never look at my nationals representatives the same way ever again.
Hi Katelyn,
I really liked your post! I never thought about the Nationals from my sorority being a Leviathan. I have heard the warnings from exec board about how Nationals want us to keep certain things out of our profiles and present ourselves a certain way on Facebook. But i also feel that my heeding this warning comes a lot from myself and my own desire to keep my reputation and the reputation I'm presenting for the sorority a positive one. I think that the Nationals is definitely acting as the Leviathan, but a natural Leviathan also emerges not just from our fear of the consequences from Nationals but also in the desire to keep Facebook a positive representation of ourselves and of the groups we belong to.
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