ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we set out how netiquette can be useful for identifying social norms and examining changes in them that are divergent, transgressive and subversive. We then argue that much ethical norm making is no longer fed down from elite authorities but can be done in a more collective and participatory fashion via the internet. We consider what some of the new norms might be by examining to what degree they may depart from previous social rules. We present findings that suggest divergence from norms around honesty in making profiles and some transgression of norms about isolated searching for ‘the one’. Furthermore, we extend examination of the supposition in chapter 2 that a degree of subversion occurs around previous norms of men pursuing women. We then discuss to what degree rather more heterodox pathways may be discerned. Transgression or subversion are evident in breaking from heterosexual gendered norms about who pays for dates and around first having sex. We consider why it is important to set out these norms and we make sense of what they tell us about norm making as a relational activity and one which can be aligned with, or even produce, social change.
