University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2003 The Straightedge Subculture on the Internet: A Case Study James Patrick Williams University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Williams, James Patrick, "The Straightedge Subculture on the Internet: A Case Study. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2003. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2358 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by James Patrick Williams entitled "The Straightedge Subculture on the Internet: A Case Study." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Sociology. , Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Thomas C. Hood, Suzanne B. Kurth, Sherry Cable, Handel Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by J. Patrick Williams entitled “The Straightedge Subculture on the Internet: A Case Study.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Sociology. Thomas C. Hood Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Handel K. Wright Sherry Cable Suzanne Kurth Accepted for the Council: Anne Mayhew Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) THE STRAIGHTEDGE SUBCULTURE ON THE INTERNET: A CASE STUDY A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville J. Patrick Williams August 2003 Copyright © 2003 by J. Patrick Williams All rights reserved. ii Acknowledgements I wish to thank many people for the roles they played in the helping my get to where I am today. First, I appreciate the openness shown to me by the participants in this research, who were happy to answer my questions, provided clarification on points I didn’t understand, and actively debated the significance of straightedge with me and others. May you all succeed in life. I wish to thank all my committee members for their guidance during this project. Dr. Tom Hood supported my choice to pursue research on subculture on the Internet, an unexplored area of sociological knowledge. Dr. Suzanne Kurth’s doctoral seminar in social psychology and new communication technology provided a introduction to the cyberspace literature. I also wish to thank her for her careful reviews of the dissertation manuscript, and for her dedication to mentoring graduate students. My heart-felt gratitude goes out to others as well. My parents, whether they fully understood the details of everyday life as a doctoral student, were willing to assist me in any way I asked, whenever and wherever I needed it. Glenn Coffey, a fellow graduate student and a friend, made me feel especially welcome when I first came to UT, provided an sympathetic ear on many occasions, and went out of his way to ensure my success. Jim Fraser and Ed Kick mentored me as a sociologist throughout my graduate career and never expressed any doubt (at least not to me) that I would succeed. Last and not least, I thank my wife, Csilla, for her uninterrupted support. iii Abstract This dissertation is a case study analysis of the straightedge youth subculture on an Internet bulletin board system (forum), located on the worldwide web between September 2001 and May 2003. Ethnographic methods, including participant observation, e-focus groups, in-depth interviews, and qualitative content analysis are used to collect relevant data. Concepts from subcultural theory, identity and social identity/categorization theory are used throughout my analysis of the Straight Edge Discussion Forum to highlight cultural and social-psychological aspects of subculturally-based behavior and identity. Substantive chapters are divided as follows. First, the types of subcultural information available to subculture members and visitors of the straightedge website under investigation are described. Second, data are presented to demonstrate how three subcultural processes – style displays, affiliation, and boundary maintenance – occur through textual interaction in the forum. Third, I demonstrate that straightedge subculture is not comprised of a homogenous group, but rather of different member types. These member types are based on whether one uses the Internet to supplement participation in face-to-face straightedge culture versus reliance on the Internet as the sole means of subcultural participation. Fourth, subcultural norms are shown to be negotiated and contested through textual interaction between forum participants. The analysis informs sociological knowledge in three areas. It provides more detailed knowledge of straightedge by deconstructing the taken-for-granted meanings attached to subcultural norms. It suggests that the Internet serves as both medium and resource for subculturalists. Lastly, it shows how identity theory and social identity/categorization theories can be used in tandem to better illuminate subcultural identity processes. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................1 The straightedge subculture ................................................................................6 My value-laden decision to study straightedge..................................................8 Statement of the research problem and summary.......................................... 10 Chapter 2: Review of literature and concepts.............................................................. 13 Introduction........................................................................................................ 13 Culture and subculture .................................................................................... 13 Youth culture and youth subcultures .............................................................. 18 Subcultural theories ........................................................................................... 19 Ecological and strain theories of subculture........................................ 22 “New subcultural theory” .................................................................... 25 Interaction and identity in subcultural theorizing.......................................... 30 Cyberspace: identity, community and subculture........................................... 37 Key concepts ....................................................................................................... 43 Summary ............................................................................................................. 49 Chapter 3: Research questions and methods ............................................................... 51 Research questions............................................................................................. 51 Research strategies............................................................................................. 53 Data sources ....................................................................................................... 56 Bulletin board forum............................................................................. 56 Forum participants................................................................................. 60 Methods............................................................................................................... 63 Participant observation, focused discussions, in-depth interviews ... 64 Qualitative content analysis .................................................................. 67 Establishing an interpretive context ................................................................. 69 Ethical considerations ........................................................................................ 72 Chapter 4: Representing the characteristics of straightedge online .......................... 76 Introduction........................................................................................................ 76 Navigating in straightedge subcultural cyberspace........................................ 76 Mapping straightedge norms through rules.................................................... 86 No drugs.................................................................................................. 88 No sex ...................................................................................................... 89 Animal rights .......................................................................................... 92 Summary............................................................................................................. 94 Chapter 5: