A6,1: So Then Who Decides?

There are many websites these days that introduce and maintain the newest internet fads. The explosive popularity of videos that nobody would have heard of otherwise became available to the masses through these websites. Examples include Star Wars Kid, Numa Numa and the most recent Chris Crocker videos owe these media blogging websites for their fame. These websites are run by a webmaster who sorts through the videos that had been uploaded by members of the given website and updates their blog with the most recent “hot” new videos. However, not everyone uploads “acceptable” videos that fit the set norms.

I believe that it is safe to assume (with no research data) that age gap of the most dedicated viewers is quite large, possibly ranging somewhere from young teens to adults with immature sense of humors. The wide range makes it difficult for a single Leviathan to moderate and enforce the norm. The norm is set by the users by frequent visits to the website, since there are so many out there, if one offends a viewer, they could easily find another. To an extent, the webmaster is a Leviathan since he or she decides whether or not the media is acceptable. They may choose to allow the post as-is, post it with a warning or disclaimer such as NSFW (Not Safe For Work) or simply not allow it. In this sense, they are the most powerful Leviathans. But given that a webmaster puts something up which many users find offensive, the users are able to send nasty emails or post negative commentary on the given posts showing that the users are the ones who in fact determine the norm.

Since the webmaster remains as an individual entity while the users are a mass (a group), the webmaster must conform to the norms set by the users if the website wishes to maintain its high traffic (more money through advertisements). As mentioned before, since there are many different forms of these websites with different sets of norms and different levels of tolerance, if the webmaster fails to conform properly and quickly, they would not be able to avoid a failing website. Although the norms are technically under the webmaster’s (Wallace’s Leviathan) control, their power may be overthrown by the larger group leading to abandonment (a form of punishment in Wallace’s sense). The webmaster decides what goes up, but the users, viewers and members of the websites decide what stays up for the enjoyment of the masses.

http://comm245green.blogspot.com/2007/10/61-hunting-loser-leviathan-my.html

http://comm245green.blogspot.com/2007/10/welcom-to-spamalot.html