Discussion Question 1: Provide TWO examples of how you have taken part in some type of deviant activity. Please do not discuss anything TOO personal or something you are uncomfortable sharing. What type of norm violations were they – did you violate a folkway, a more, a taboo? How did others respond to your action/behavior? Be sure your example illustrates that you understand deviancy.
Answer: Deviant activity is an activity that goes against the social norms of a society, including formal and informal rules that guide people’s interactions in the society. In my home country I had been used to driving on the left hand side of the road. Here in United States, I have committed activities that seem to be deviant by driving on the wrong side of the road, the right hand side. This was considered as a deviant activity because I did not follow the legal rule of keeping right while driving. I consider it as a More because it is a legal and strict norm that the society feels strongly about. In one of the incidences that I encountered, I almost caused an accident, and the car of one of the road users got a minor scratch on the window pane. He got out of the car and almost caused a fight but I apologized.
Discussion Question 2: Select a website that allows people to interact with one another, such as Facebook, Twitter, an online discussion forum, or the comments section of a news article (this can be your cultural artifact for this week). Briefly explain what is occurring in the example you chose. Examine these comments to determine if there are rules that are broken on the Internet. In what ways does the Internet help facilitate behavior that might be deviant elsewhere? What norms are broken on the Internet that might not be broken in face-to-face interactions? What sorts of structural barriers exist on the Internet that might limit deviant behavior? Overall, do you think deviant behavior flows more easily because of the Internet? Make sure you include a link so that others can read what you are referring to.
Answer: Facebook is a social networking site where people meet and interact online. Facebook can act as a means of promoting deviant activities because people usually go over the limit of society norms by the way they post comments and updates. Some people post bad pictures against the society norms while others engage with hate speech. For example, hate speech and use of vulgar language is easily committed through facebook than face-to-face because it is easier to take action when one commits it face-face than through the social media. Deviant behaviors therefore flow more easily because of the internet.
