examining the informal sanctioning of deviance in a chat room culture

This study explores the nature of everyday deviance at the micro level, within the context of a particular chat room culture. It focuses on the normative structure of the Married Life chat culture through examination of the processes of informal social sanctioning of behavior that is defined as deviant within the culture. It is suggested that the nature of cyberspace produces environmental conditions analogous to social disorganization models of deviance and crime. Furthermore, mechanisms for sanctioning deviance within cyber cultures in general are identified.