Eben uses etiquette a lot as an example of a form of strong social control, so I think I might write my second paper on Facebook etiquette or social media etiquette or even for texting. Do you guys have any examples of rules of etiquette that you've noticed? Like it is never bad etiquette to untag photos (it's your image), but it is bad etiquette to untag and then retag (indecisive and annoying for the person who posts). Any examples of people violating etiquettes, maybe due to age and unfamiliarity (like your parents)? Or gender differences in etiquette rules (girls are allowed to text "kk" but apparently I'm not).

Thanks,

-Alex

-- AlexWang - 19 Apr 2012

Hey,

I think using a lot of abbreviations while texting tends to be a sign of age. I've heard a lot of people (myself included) jokingly lament about having to decipher text messages sent by people of their parent's generation. I think this could lead to some interesting thoughts about how new technology/new types of communication and the accompanying etiquette create a wider gap between people of different ages.

Also I think texting-as-a-form-of-communication exacerbates or perhaps highlights stratification within our society. A lot of my friends from college/law school treat texting like free pizza lunches - it's unlimited and will always be available - whereas some of my poorer friends from home have limited texting plans and can't communicate via text as much, which means they sometimes get left out of plans and/or group texts/jokes. It's something basic, but I definitely see this new form of communication widening the stratification spectrum.

-- SkylarPolansky - 18 Apr 2012