When looking to try to explain conformity in online group dynamics, many try to “hunt the leviathan”. While this may conjure up images of huge sea monsters and the novel Moby Dick, the term leviathan has a completely different meaning in the context of computer mediated communication (CMC). The Leviathan is the force that causes people to act within the norms and standards of a society. It is the overarching feeling that causes us to act the way we do, despite never being told to do so. One such Leviathan is e-mail etiquette.
Etiquette in any situation carries along a leviathan, and by no means is CMC any different. With a background working at a country club, the first example I can think of is if when talking to a member I addressed them shouting “Hey Bob!” rather than “good morning Dr. Riley”. If I had used the first address, I would have been reproached for my poor behavior. In e-mail communication, there are several distinguished “norms” which are followed. These include; proper punctuation, professional headings, as well as formal language. The failure to use any of these correctly can result in making others uncomfortable and even lead to negative repercussions.
One such instance of e-mail etiquette is proper spelling and punctuation. This norm has moved from traditional mailing etiquette and moved to online communication. If one were to violate these norms, it would cause the receiver of the message to discredit the sender and look down at their message. Even if these errors might be an oversight or a typo, to the receiver this comes across as careless and reckless. From that point on the receiver will not respect the e-mails as much and consider this in context of what the e-mail says. In Wallace’s work, these fall under offenses that would “draw the arched brow” leading to a reminder by the receiver that such actions are looked down upon in the online community.
In Chapter 4 of The Psychology of the Internet, Wallace discusses the Leviathan and why it forces us to conform. While the word conformist sometimes carries negative connotations, Wallace feels that, “conformity is to the large extent the glue that keeps a group, or even a whole society, together.” Simply put, the Leviathan is the convention that keeps us conforming, even when there are weak reasons for us to conform. So, while the tendency to conform may slightly decrease on the internet due to anonymity and lack of physical presence, the Leviathan is still out there, influencing all of our actions in the sea of mediated communication.
2 comments:
Hello Benjamin!
I like your country club example of the Leviathan- is this something that actually happened to you or have you always known the repercussions? I think if you reexamine Wallace's 4th Chapter you will find that she describes e-mails as having evolved to be informal. She says explicitly that she thinks formally written e-mails are counter to the norms that surround e-mail usage. Since you disagree with this, you should provide some examples/justification for disagreeing. Do you think that e-mails have become as formal as regular letters? I know that mine become more formal when I communicate with certain people, but it is usually because I conform to the style that they are using. I have had many more informal e-mail conversations however, where being too formal would have been viewed as socially inappropriate! I like that you disagree, but I think you need to discuss why the discrepancy occurs. Good post!
-Brian
Email etiquette is a relatively new concept in the realm of proper communication. It is so easy to judge someone on the sloppiness of their typing skills but typos should not be used as a predictor of how someone interacts FtF. I do believe however that spelling errors and grammar are components of emails that should not be looked over. Typing ability is not paralleled to someone’s intelligence but spelling and proper grammar are. In congruence with hunting the leviathan, etiquette in emails is an important aspect, but it is a subjective one. One needs to adjust their style and tone depending on who they are corresponding to. The group norms for e-mailing friends is much different that those for an e-mail to a professor or prospective employer. I agree that conformity can be both positive and negative. It is a way for people to have commonality online, which encourages communication. But, it can also be negative as it hinders creativity and suppresses one’s personality.
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