A View from the Cultured Barbarian

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A View from the Cultured Barbarian

• Barrett S. Caldwell, PhD
• School of Industrial Engineering
• Purdue University
• Fall 2002 AAAI Symposium
• Etiquette in Human-Computer Work
• 15-17 November 2002

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What is A Barbarian?

• Jeanne Comeau presentation Someone who does not
  adhere to the norms of the cultural elite to
  which I aspire
• Inherent in this is that I am (can be?) accepted
  in the elite, which has power over another, whom
  I devalue via the label Barbarian
• New victors declare old residents savage /
  backward
• Advancement-- becoming more like what the elite
  prefer now

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Etiquette as Negotiation of Social Complexity

• Emerging Rulesets to Manage Belief Systems and
  Dynamics of Social Environment--All Social
  Behavior Based on Negotiated Rulesets (Language)
• Developing Formal Rules Based on Power Norms
  --Consensus, Majority, Elite
• Stereotyping (6 sec sizing) as Self-Fulfilling,
  Inertial Simplification
• Ease of Defining Etiquette Based on Number of
  Simultaneously Valued Cultures

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Cultures of Culture

• Sociology and Cultural Anthropology Perspectives
• Hall Formal, Informal, Technical Cultures
• Berger / Luckman Social Construction within
  Culture
• Goffman Presentation of Self, Roles
• Socialization of Cultural Affiliations and
  Adoption
• Central / Primary most central to self-concept
• Peripheral / Secondary later to develop, more
  situational
• Category Membership origin, profession,
  organization, avocation, class, etc.
• Observation US Ascribes Central Value to
  Professional Culture Affiliation (What do you
  do?)

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Why is Etiquette Powerful?

• Belief That Adhering to Ruleset Can Have Personal
  Advantages
• Reputation and Social Advancement
• Recognition of Power Dynamics What is The Golden
  Rule?
• Do unto others as you would prefer
• The ones with gold make the rules
• Sanctions And Isolation As Controls
• Alignment of Subcultural Etiquettes (through
  Range of Participants) Makes Etiquettes Less
  Visible

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Assumptions by the Fish Studying Water

• Others Motivations Are Similar to Yours
• Conflicting goals on the way to productization
• Do users have a similar general background
• Empirical research as a paternalistic legacy of
  DWMs
• Others Share Your Sense of Fairness / Equity
• Retribution / recompense for past inequity
• Dont trust the other ones, trust me friend or
  con?
• Sociopath one who exploits etiquette for
  personal gain, without normal restrictions for
  social control

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Views from the Margin

• Generalized Culture Assumes Central, Primary,
  Unitary Affiliations (of Elite?)
• Minority Groups as Managing Multiple Cultures
• Observing elite within minority structure
• Survival in majority culture (which is often not
  aware of itself as non-universal)
• Range of Cultural Affiliations for Interaction
• Simplicity select and manage small set
• Finding the place to fit in with your kind
• Complexity self-consistency across multiple
  groups
• Consistency for self marginalism in all groups

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Cultural Flexibility and Access

• All Culture is Contextual
• Thus, All Etiquette is Specialized
• Just some cultures are assumed general--for a
  simple, unitary group affiliation and ruleset
  adoption
• Cultural Flexibility Is A Different Skill
• Etiquette following as rule memory / execution
• Etiquette selection as strategic recognition of
  context and appropriate shifting of rule
  application
• Some Rules are Meant to Exclude

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Geek Chic and Nerd Revenge

• Intentional Creation of New Norms with New Power
  in Response to Devaluing
• Violating Norms to Indicate True Cultural
  Affiliation
• Goffman Use of Stigma as Valuing Criterion
• Complexity of Distinct Groups of Elites on
  Different Cultural Criteria
• Should we Trust Computer People to Create
  Etiquette Norms?

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Challenges for the Cultured Barbarian

• Fitting In to Existing Rules vs. Creating
  Opportunities for Acceptance and New Rules
• Willingness to Accept Aspects of Formal Cultures
  as Part of Personal Style
• Managing Multiple Elites, and Not Being Too
  Devalued in Any
• Not Getting Too Tired of People Who Cannot
  Navigate Cultural Complexity
• Acceptance and Cultivation of Ones Stigma

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References

• Berger, P. L., and Luckman, T. (1966). The
  Social Construction of Reality.
• Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in
  Everyday Life.
• Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma.
• Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction Ritual.
• Hall, E.T. (1958). The Hidden Dimension.
• Kaplan, D., and Manners, Robert A. (1972).
  Culture Theory.