Kayla Burazin
4192345
4192345
The Facebook page Embarrassing Nightclub
Photos of the Week is a page created strictly for the exposure of others
misfortunes. Through looking at code of conduct, presentation of self and
dramaturgy this Facebook page will
provide a well-grounded exposition and interpretation of this naturally
occurring data, with particular focus on the negative aspects and
misinterpretations at the expense of others
Facebook is an online world that has enabled sociologist to explore another genre
of everyday interaction. This online world, whilst still following some rules
of everyday interaction, have created a new set of rules for what is and isn’t
acceptable within everyday interaction. Facebook
has allowed individuals to interact with each other across continents in a
matter of seconds within leaving your seat. It has provided a new an
invigorating way to invite people to events and to accept or deny a
reservation. All of these remarkable things that Facebook provides in regards to everyday interaction, needs to be
assessed as to what cost society pays as a result of this?
The Facebook page, Embarrassing Nightclub
Photos of the Week is designed so other Facebook
users can upload (as the name of the page suggests) embarrassing photos taken
whilst in a nightclub. The genre of the photos can range from wardrobe
malfunctions, flashing, people having sex (or sexual actions) in the
background/ foreground of photos, people becoming physically ill from alcohol
consumption and outrageous behaviour. These photos are displayed on this public
page for the humour of many people through the breaking face of one individual.
This site can be seen
as a piece of naturally occurring data due to the amount of “likes” and users
talking about this page has received. When the page was first chosen on the
10/10/2012 to be the piece of naturally occurring data records of the likes and
users talking about the page were recorded. On this day this site has over
885,722 likes and 44,633 talking about the page at 17:00. When the site was
revisited at 22:00 (the same day) the page had 891,683 likes. In a space of five hours the likes had
rose a total of 5,961. At 14:08 on 1/11/2012 the page had 1,383,884 people who
had liked the page and had 83,688 who had talked about this page via their Facebook accounts. When re-checked at
14:12 the same day the page likes had risen to 1, 383,887. In the timeframe of
less then a month (10/10/2012- 1/11/2012) the likes for this page had risen
492,204 and the amount of users talking about this page had risen 39,095.
People are live their
lives by (whether is be subconsciously or not) the societal norms and the
unwritten ‘rules’ of everyday interactions. We don’t cut people off in the
middle of them talking or cough in there face because it is not what society
deems acceptable. These un-witten rules are like codes of conduct in regards to
verbal and physical everyday interaction within society. When using the Internet
there is also a code of conduct that must be maintained. These online written
and un-written rules are all established as a means of maintaining not only
order but ones face. Maintaining a sense of decorum through politeness and
respect must be established and if this is not attained the ‘social code’ of
the Internet is broken. Embarrassing Nightclub Photos of the week
displays this broken ‘social code’ explicitly.
FIGURE 1
In this figure (1) it
is apparent that the code is broken through comments about this particular
photo. The photo is of an obese woman (See Appendix B) and the comments regarding this photo consist of no politeness or respect. The
demeanor in there comments is not present at all, with many referring to her as
a ‘wale’ (SIC).
These photos are not simply breaking the code but are also a form of online bullying that is rapidly growing within western culture. Cyberbullying can leave victims feeling isolated, dehumanized, or helpless at the time of the attack. (Donnerstein, 2012). As a result of this social solidarity is formed between the person commenting and the person featured within the image. This social solidarity then creates a split in authority levels between these individuals in this online space through the enforcement of power (from the individual commenting) onto the victim (the person within the photo) by means of their negative comments (Daly, 2004).
These photos are not simply breaking the code but are also a form of online bullying that is rapidly growing within western culture. Cyberbullying can leave victims feeling isolated, dehumanized, or helpless at the time of the attack. (Donnerstein, 2012). As a result of this social solidarity is formed between the person commenting and the person featured within the image. This social solidarity then creates a split in authority levels between these individuals in this online space through the enforcement of power (from the individual commenting) onto the victim (the person within the photo) by means of their negative comments (Daly, 2004).
The presentation of
self and peoples demeanor are both acts that every person performs to society
in order to be accepted. When people are in different environments, these acts
can alter to stay ‘true’ to the nature of the environment. A young adult might be quite civilised and
never sware when around their parents or their boss yet once they are with
their friendship group they use profanity like there is no tomorrow. Whether we
realise it or not every individual will have multiple performances that they
perform everyday to stay ‘true’ to their environment.
As humans we have a basic need to feel accepted, loved and like we belong. We have learned about the necessity of it for humans within school, when we would have all studied Maslow’s hierarchy. Love/ belonging is the third stage of this pyramid whilst esteem is second. Belongingness and Love are achieved though affiliation with a group, a process that is very much impacted by cultural values and beliefs about what is acceptable to the group. (Gorman, 2012). There is a great deal put on humans to ‘fit in’ and to keep face so that they will be accepted. We do this through abiding by the societal norms that everyday interaction is governed by.
As humans we have a basic need to feel accepted, loved and like we belong. We have learned about the necessity of it for humans within school, when we would have all studied Maslow’s hierarchy. Love/ belonging is the third stage of this pyramid whilst esteem is second. Belongingness and Love are achieved though affiliation with a group, a process that is very much impacted by cultural values and beliefs about what is acceptable to the group. (Gorman, 2012). There is a great deal put on humans to ‘fit in’ and to keep face so that they will be accepted. We do this through abiding by the societal norms that everyday interaction is governed by.
When people break societal
norms, however, their presentation of self has been broken and their demeanour
shattered. Then this causes embarrassment and the fear of being judged by other
members of society and this fear of being judged also leads to fear of
isolation and being disassociated from society.
The reason for this fear is due to acceptance and belonging being apart of our basic human needs.
For the people that view this page and especially those who go to the effort to like, share and comment on them, it enables them to point out and be humoured at the expense of those who have broken their presentation of self and demeanor. As it is not happening to us, and our presentation is still intact ( through the use of our online alias) we are able to find humour out of situations where people don’t.
Power is another aspect that people draw from this page. Through using an online alias to point out another’s misfortunes as a result of them breaking face users can feel a sense of power. The bullying that goes on within this site enables the user to gain a sense of power through pointing out negative social aspects of the victim (person within the photos) and using them as a form of humour- this becomes their source of power. Butler discusses this need for power that is used as a form of social solidarity when stated that bullying, exploits the desire for existence, where existence is always conferred from elsewhere; it marks a primary vulnerability to the Other in order to be’ (Butler 1997).
The reason for this fear is due to acceptance and belonging being apart of our basic human needs.
For the people that view this page and especially those who go to the effort to like, share and comment on them, it enables them to point out and be humoured at the expense of those who have broken their presentation of self and demeanor. As it is not happening to us, and our presentation is still intact ( through the use of our online alias) we are able to find humour out of situations where people don’t.
Power is another aspect that people draw from this page. Through using an online alias to point out another’s misfortunes as a result of them breaking face users can feel a sense of power. The bullying that goes on within this site enables the user to gain a sense of power through pointing out negative social aspects of the victim (person within the photos) and using them as a form of humour- this becomes their source of power. Butler discusses this need for power that is used as a form of social solidarity when stated that bullying, exploits the desire for existence, where existence is always conferred from elsewhere; it marks a primary vulnerability to the Other in order to be’ (Butler 1997).
FIGURE 2
Dramaturgy is a theoretical position…which uses
the stage and the theatre as its key organizing metaphor (SIC) (Scott, 2009).
This theoretical framework is present within this Facebook site is present through the considerable amount of
impression management. Images of
women and men that are dressed and posing a certain way exemplify what
impression management is as they are trying to gain a particular perception of
themselves via their pose. Dramaturgy can be linked to the photos of
individuals that are unaware a photo of them has been taken but for the means
of this paper: this framework will be associated with individuals who are aware
a photo is being taken of them.
Individuals make a conscious decision perform a particular way and this is seen through the way they choose to dress and pose. The frontstage of these photos are a means to, perform the roles that leads the audience to form an impression (Houts, 2004). Their frontstage performance within these photos can be a means of portraying a particular persona about the individual but these perceptions can be either socially positive or negative from other members of the public.
Individuals make a conscious decision perform a particular way and this is seen through the way they choose to dress and pose. The frontstage of these photos are a means to, perform the roles that leads the audience to form an impression (Houts, 2004). Their frontstage performance within these photos can be a means of portraying a particular persona about the individual but these perceptions can be either socially positive or negative from other members of the public.
FIGURE 3
The position of the
girl in the purple dress on the left in this Figure (3) portrays the negative
effects from the impression management that is present within this Facebook page. To this girl her pose may
simply be to show her flexibility via this pose yet to some there may be a negative
meaning behind this pose. The title of the photo is “flexible much” yet some Facebook users have taken this pose as a
quite sexual and have commented in a sexually derogative way. Within the
figure, a comment was posted on 17/10/2012 from the Facebook user Steven Smiths exemplifies the sexually approach taken
from a photo that could of simply been to show flexibility.
Code of conduct,
Presentation of self and Dramaturgy were the aspects used to analyse the social
everyday interactions of Facebook
users from the Facebook page Embarrassing
Nightclub Photos of the Week. By
assessing certain examples through the frameworks the negative aspects and
misinterpretations were shown as a result of the misfortune of others.
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REFERENCE LIST
Butler, J. (1997), The psychic life of power. Theories in
subjection, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press
Daly. N, Holmes. J,
Newton. J, Stubbe. M (2004) ‘Expletives as solidarity signals in FTAs on the
factory floor.’ Journal of Pragmatics
36: pp. 945-964
Donnerstein, E (2012)
“Internet Bullying”, Pediatric clinics of
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“Embarrassing Nightclub Photos of the
Week”, Facebook. Accessed 1/11/2012 http://www.facebook.com/EmbarrassingNightclubPhotosOfTheWeek
Goffman, Erving (1967) “The Nature of
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Goffman, Erving, (1971), “Performances.”, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
Harmondsworth: Penguin, pp. 28-82
Gorman, Don. (2010) “Maslow's Hierarchy and
Social and Emotional Wellbeing” Aboriginal
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interactions: Everyday racial events and white college students” thesis,
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Scott, J, Marshall, G (2009) “dramaturgy
(dramaturgical perspective)”, Oxford
Dictionary of Sociology, Vol 3, pg192
Wieder, L.D, (1974) “Telling the Code”, Ethnomethodology. Harmondsworth:
Penguin, pp. 144-172
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Appendix A
NOTE: Since the submission of this essay Facebook
may have taken down some of the photos referenced due to complaints from other Facebook users that deem them offensive
and have reported them.
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Appendix B
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Appendix C
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