A View from the Cultured BarbarianWhat is A Barbarian?Etiquette as Negotiation of Social ComplexityCultures of CultureWhy is Etiquette Powerful?Assumptions by the Fish Studying WaterViews from the MarginCultural Flexibility and AccessGeek Chic and Nerd RevengeChallenges for the Cultured BarbarianReferencesA View from the Cultured BarbarianBarrett S. Caldwell, PhDSchool of Industrial EngineeringPurdue UniversityFall 2002 AAAI SymposiumEtiquette in Human-Computer Work15-17 November 2002What 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 nowEtiquette 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 CulturesCultures 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?”)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 VisibleAssumptions by the Fish Studying WaterOther’s 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“Don’t trust the other ones, trust me”: friend or con?Sociopath: one who exploits etiquette for personal gain, without normal restrictions for social controlViews 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 groupsCultural 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 ExcludeGeek 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?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 One’s StigmaReferences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