"Web Cliques to Cool for School"

In the article, “Web Cliques to Cool For School” (2003), Daniel Terdiman examines the concept of web cliques, virtual groups that abide by a strict set of rules, as another aspect of virtual communities. Terdiman begins the article with an example of someone who was a founder of an online clique, and goes on to explain how they mirror real life, especially within the halls of a high school. The author’s purpose is to show web cliques as an extension of virtual communities in order to expose the way these online groups imitate real life. Terdiman is speaking to an audience of internet users who may or may not have encountered web cliques.
Most internet users are accustomed to membership based websites that allow any user to join based on a vague, common denominator. Web cliques are a different story. In order to be a member, one must meet many complicated guidelines and once accepted, obey the many rules of the site. Some may say that this process goes the against the idea of virtual communities, but web cliques may better replicate them. Within all communities, you will find more than one close-knit groups of friends who are civil to others, but are impossible to break away from their group.