Hunting the Leviathan in an online setting is an inherent skill that we all possess. This process refers to identifying unacceptable online practices. One specific ‘norm’ found online that is deemed unacceptable is using capital letters (CAPS) for all typed text. This norm has become engrained into online societies due to the undertones and connotations that it has. Capital letters produces an uneasy feeling for the person being written to, and the statement must be of great importance or anger. Writing in capitals usually provokes a large and quick response, while grabbing the reader’s attention as to say that something is wrong.
People have come to accept and understand this norm based on several factors. The first factor is unusual, but makes sense when thought about in detail. Making text in capital letters is an option. One must physically and psychologically decide to alter the existing text and make it stand out. Putting emphasis on specific information using CAPS has become a sign of specific emotion because the norm differs from this text. The norm is standard text, similar to what is being written in front of you, or all lower-case letters. If capital letters were a standard convention, it would be considered the norm; because CAPS must be chosen to be used, the user has a direct connection to the message and must having meaningful information to state. Lastly, people have come to accept this norm of not using all CAPS because it offends people when used out of context or when it does not hold significance. I have been a part of many scenarios where using capital letters have inadvertently confused my audience and made them disconcerted.
If people violate a norm such as this and use capital letters for all of their online conversations, they will become disengaged with their audience and not accepted. People will question the sender’s motives; I have accidentally used CAPS to friends online, and my audience was concerned with whether I was upset or mad. Such online accidents are unavoidable and are a part of CMC. Lastly, in order to be accepted among an online society, one must give in (conform) to online standards. Using normal text (not CAPS) is such a norm, and fitting in to online communities which follow these norms are regulated by the Leviathan.
In Chapter 4 of The Psychology of the Internet, Wallace discusses conformity and what it means to conform. Conformity is a sense of appeasement or giving in, producing similarity in form or character. Using normal text and not capitalizing letters represents a social conformity in which people abide by. This has become a social norm, and those who do not go along with it seem out of place. At times, people might seem tempted to use CAPS, but they do not in order to go along with the precedent (unless someone wants to get an important point across).
http://comm245yellow.blogspot.com/2007/10/heres-to-loss-in-individuality-you.html
http://comm245yellow.blogspot.com/2007/10/assign-6-option-1-online-you-obey.html
1 comment:
Hey David,
Really interesting post, I had one that was very similar. I addressed the entire convention of e-mail etiquette, of which CAPS writing falls under. My dad always writes me e-mails in all caps and it’s incredibly difficult to tell if he’s yelling at me or if he is just doing this out of habit. I’ve come to realize that it’s not because he’s yelling at me but it always catches me off guard. I’d hate to think what people think who don’t know him as well think when they get an e-mail from him. It’s incredible to me that such a small thing such as writing in all caps can be so unconventional that people can be offended by the use of it. In my post I also talk about such things as poor grammar and incorrect word use which also contribute to the negative feelings people develop towards those exchanging emails. It’d be interesting to take a look at the reproaches people take to “raise their eyebrows” at people who commit this offense and see what repercussions it has on the Caps user.
~Ben
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