A.How have you personally used social media to resist or express a position that was in contrast to the mainstream norm, locally and globally?
-Ya know, I really don’t tend to use social media to express my position on things. I mean I am more of a person who would express it out loud. For example right now a lot of people hate on Obama and I am standing up for him. It may not be what the majority of the people think but I honestly think that anyone in his position would be struggling and I support him. Other things that I have done by using social media would be something as simple as me expressing on my Facebook status that I did not like a movie that is really liked by everyone. I have pretty strong opinions, but like I said, I don’t really express them using social media.
B. What does it mean to deviate from and/or resist the norm, and how is it typically done?
Well I always say that norms are basically unwritten rules that evolve in every culture. Each culture has different norms and cultures can be something as big a country and as small are your group of friends. Typically people who travel to different countries will deviate from the norm just because they don’t necessarily even know the norms. Other times it might be because they are trying to make a statement and will deviate from the norm to make their point. I mainly feel like people deviate from/and or resist the norm when they are trying to gain attention and make a statement.
C.How does social media and other online communication tools facilitate the negative or positive deviation from the norm?
Give examples of all (e.g., websites, organizations, etc.).
-There is a website for almost anything these days. You can find something for both positive and negative deviation from the norm. In my deviant behavior class we had to find a website that was negatively deviant from the norm and I actually found a website that was pro anorexia. It was extremely disturbing and I couldn’t believe that there was actually a website for this. In class the next day people explained how they had found pro petafile websites and just the most bizarre things. One specific website we talked about in class was TheDirty.com; the website that posts pictures unknowingly of people and mean comments are written. As you know I was on this website and it is extremely demeaning. It definitely goes against the norm for others posting pictures without permission (well, and a lot more). But even PerezHilton’s website goes against the norm because all he does is bash on people and make things up.
