Deviance

Deviance is a form of resistance to mainstream values, goals, norms, and morals. However, space, place, and time can predict whether certain events [Page 297]or actions can be construed as deviant or conventional. Therefore, deviance is constantly changing and reinventing its definition of what is acceptable in society. As part of his theory of deviance, sociologist Howard Becker proposed that social groups create deviance by making the rules to follow and then applying those rules to a particular group, in turn creating an inclusive and exclusive dichotomy. Those who are included are perceived as normal and mainstream, and those who are excluded are viewed as outsiders or deviant. A label is applied to those seen as deviant, shaping perceptions and observations of, and overall sentiments toward, that group. Furthermore, the role that deviance plays in the 21st century is profoundly rooted in its perception in social media and surveillance. In the past decade, social media forums have provided platforms for individuals and groups to expose, find, and comment on deviant forms. The same virtual spaces have thus been used by law enforcement to survey and watch these behaviors. Moreover, deviance is a performed action that is constantly monitored because of innovations in technology, social media, and surveillance. In this entry, deviance is compared and contrasted with criminality, examples are provided to show how behavior initially perceived as deviant may evolve into socially acceptable actions, and social media and technology’s role in capturing, sharing, and investigating deviant behavior is examined.

Societal views of deviance tend to be in association with criminality. Although they are not the same, they are not mutually exclusive either. The best summation of the two is thinking of them as a Venn diagram, where they are both unique and separate but share many commonalities. For instance, on the one hand, rape, murder, assault, and robbery are all considered criminal acts but are simultaneously seen as deviant behaviors. Jaywalking, on the other hand, might be against the law but is not deviant, and having a large facial tattoo might be seen as deviant but not a crime.

Therefore, to define deviance, space, place, and time must be taken into consideration. These variables can indicate whether certain acts are considered taboo or not, and criminal or decriminalized. Two examples are interracial marriage and recreational drug use. First, the concept of marriage has changed over the past 100 years. Historically, in the United States, this union was reserved for a man and a woman of the same age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and religion. Any deviation from this was seen as deviant, as well as prohibited by law under some of the first Black Codes dating back to the 17th century. However, in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that antimiscegenation laws were unconstitutional. This ruling began the process of breaking down the deviant label associated with interracial marriage. Thus, law affects the way in which deviance is perceived over time.

A second example is the use of recreational drugs (e.g., marijuana). Research indicates that marijuana is the third most frequently used recreational drug in the United States, next to alcohol and tobacco. The ample and abundant use of marijuana has taken away many of the deviant qualities that were once associated with it. In particular, during the early to mid-20th century, films such as Reefer Madness (1936) exploited the supposed negative propaganda of using marijuana. Today, many films have been made that celebrate recreational marijuana use, such as Pineapple Express (2008), which highlights the positive and comedic uses of the drug. In addition, factoring in space and place, specific states such as Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington have made some forms of marijuana use legal, therefore taking away both the criminalized and, to some extent, the deviant elements. These two examples are used to show how deviance is socially constructed and enforced or dismantled by popular opinion and legislative policies.

...