Ted Talk Analysis on Social Norms

Is there an example that might clarify or support the author’s claim?

Your comment regarding the development of strict, rule-based cultures to address threatening environments from outsiders is not simply true of national or religious cultures, but even subcultures of the kind that exist online, either through sharing fan fiction, social media websites, TikTok, and other forms of spontaneous sharing. However, although the culture may be informally regulated, there can also be a great deal of gatekeeping and infighting, perhaps because certain fandoms or subcultures are so niche in terms of the scope of the community. Paradoxically on one hand, “Fan cultures are examples of participatory cultures. Participatory cultures involve fans acting not only as consumers but also as producers and creators of some form of creative media” but on the other hand participatory cultures can still have rigorous formal enforcement (Fandom and participatory culture, n.d., par.1).

Fan participation can be mercilessly self-regulated, if certain fans are viewed as violating taboos, in terms of how certain characters are depicted romantically, in fan art, and even in simple disagreements about the best way to be a fan. Sometimes, there are tensions between gender dynamics in terms of how different groups relate to fandom, as women are more apt to create art and fanfiction, while men may be more apt to collect things and memorize trivia. “Social hierarchies exist between and within fan cultures, which can lead to judgment. Members of any subgroup tend to have a general consensus regarding which behaviors are acceptable,” in defining what is a true fan or an acceptable way of being a member of the fandom (Fandom and participatory culture, n.d., par.8).