subcultural evolution? examining the influence of on- and off-line experiences on deviant subcultures

Subcultural research gives significant insight into the ways individuals learn to approve of and justify involvement in crime and deviance. However, most research examines subcultures in either cyberspace or real-world social situations. Few have considered how off-line and online experiences overlap and influence subcultural values and norms. This study addresses this issue by exploring the normative orders of computer hacker subculture with multiple data sets. The findings suggest that the norms and values of hacker subculture cut across the digital divide to shape relationships between hackers in virtual and real situations. Implications for future research are also discussed.