Virtual world

For so many times i guess, you may hear people said 'internet is a virtual world'.
But what are the underlying mechanisms that are important for the operation of this world?

For me, I think there are two important concepts that is vital for the maintenance of the online virtual world.

#1: A hierarchical organization

Courtesy of Yahoo Images

With a hierarchy, users at different level have different rights and duties. For those who are at the peak, they usually serve as a leader, giving out directions to guide and lead the group to achieve certain goals. For those who are located at the middle part of the hierarchy, they usually play an important role in monitoring activities practiced by those in the bottom, and coordinating their needs with the group leader. And for those who are in the bottom level, they are essential for the survival of a group. Because without their support, the hierarchy will be collapsed.

#2: Norms
Although norm has no legally validity, it promotes a great deal of social control. Different norms exist in different platform online. For example, some fans forums have a norm to dedicate their first post to their idol on every new topic. An example is shown as below:

With these norms, all users are guided to do what they may or may not. It also helps to reduce frictions that may induce by different posting style among different users.