Hazing
A problem that doesn’t seem to catch the attention of most people are hazing within the online communities. Members of an elite online community use hazing to display their power, produce inequality, and instill the newcomers loyalty to the community. Elite members of the in-group may haze by employing derogatory terms to refer to newcomers, using deception or playing mind games, or participating in intimidation, among other activities. Hazing through the Internet, is the expected virtual labor of newcomers with complete obedience, and no restraint.
For example, the Blue Sky online community is known to harass or haze soon-to-be members. "Through hazing, established members tell newcomers that they must be able to tolerate a certain level of aggressiveness, grossness, and obnoxiousness in order to fit in and be accepted by the BlueSky community". This is very common in online communities. An online community called The X-Filesaholics displays how hazing within online communities is a casualty, and common for newcomers to obediently participate in. Where this is a message board for members to discuss their love for the show "The X-Files", it is commonly called Mulders apartment. Individuals interested in joining this community must go through a hazing ritual, commonly known as cleaning the apartment. Newly established members are instructed to clean or scrub the apartment with a toothbrush. "True online hazing doesn’t inflict physical duress; but the status values of domination and subordination are just as effectively transmitted". Online hazing may still be virtual, but it does not excuse the disturbing adversities newcomers must encounter to join the community.
Read more about this topic: Online Community, Problems