Who said it was odd to take a nap in a library? Well, the students at the University of Texas apparently are among those that think it is hilarious and inappropriate. We visited Perry-Castañeda Library on a mission to break social norms and the age old principles of “quiet in the library”.
In the library there are quiet floors and floors where noise is more allowed. We conducted our experiment on each. First, we visited a “loud” floor to record the reactions to public sleeping on a table in the middle of the crowded library floor. We brought along blankets to further exaggerate our experiment. People’s responses were “interesting” to say the least. Some practiced studied non-observance. Obviously aware that we were exhibiting strange behavior, they intentionally ignored us. They stuck to their computers and their homework and only occasionally did they look up and send a confused glance our way. Others were blatantly obvious about their observations. They stared and pointed, motioning for their friends to also look. They laughed, and made it very obvious that our sleeping on the table was attracting attention and disturbing to the study environment. Some responded in a much more hostile way, one of the people at a surrounding tables even looked mad. Though we were making no noise and not drawing attention to ourselves in any other way than quietly sleeping, strangers sought to correct us by their defense body language and displeased facial expressions. One nearby table even turned on loud music at their computers and told us nonchalantly to, “Wake up. Wake up, go home”. This corrective process was surprising to me. Most people did not support our performance, but it was evident that people in a group were more apt to speak out against us. The students who were studying alone in the library did their best to ignore us, suggesting that there is not only power in numbers but also that people present themselves in the best manner possible. This springs from the principles of Irving Goffman, the well known sociologist that promoted the idea of the dramaturgical approach where life itself present like a play and people, the actors. There is a stage, a script, and even costumes for every performance that a person gives. More simple stated there is a time and a place for every action, every thing a person says and wears. For example, what you wear to work is different than what you wear to the beach, and how you talk to your grandmother is different than how you talk to the driver who just cut you off in heavy traffic. In the case of the library distractions, people are less afraid to comment and correct an obvious social norm oddity if they have a group’s opinion to back them up. When alone, someone else’s faux pas is noticed, but it is less likely to be corrected. People don’t like embarrassing themselves, which is also why this experiment was done in a group. If each of us participating had to break social norms alone, we most likely would have chickened out. Who wants to intentionally draw attention to themselves and damage their social image in front of their peers? The same principles apply to those who wish not to correct or (or to correct in the case of the group.) People do what is expected of them, and is also the reason that people follow social norms to begin with.
Second, we ventured to the “quiet” floor where it is encouraged and expected that people do not make noise. The only noise on the floor was the sound computer keys typing. On the quiet floor, we entered with every intention of being unnecessarily noisy to rouse the students. We planned to text, and leave our cell phone volume on. We would let music stream from our computer “accidentally” for a moment, and talk to each other just loudly enough to draw attention. However, when we arrived to the floor, Yesenia just happened to have a loud keychain attached to her bag. In the hunt for a spot to conduct our experiment we found that the keychain noise was almost too much disruption. People responded with hostility that I did not expect. They looked up from their pods/ tables and stared at us walk throughout the library. Most of them looked mad, glaring at us with disgust that we were making so much noise. Keep in mind that it was a key chain that was causing the noise. By all accounts, it is an excusable offense, but the students on the quiet floor obviously did not appreciate our presence. Many shushed us, or cleared their throats loudly to signal that we were not abiding by the “rules”. Every person we passed looked up from their work and responded harshly to the sound the the key chain. There was no ambiguity from the students studying; they wanted us to leave or be quiet. Though none of the norms we broke in the library are explicitly stated rules, they are treated as such. Quiet is a suggestion that is strongly adhered to, and perhaps to avoid a mob of studying students we truncated out experiment and made a quick exit from the "quiet floor".
Social norms are the unspoken expectations of our culture. Public sleeping is not considered normal in our society, especially in cities where homeless citizens roam and sleep on street corners. People do not wish to have that stigma associated with them, or the people around them in the same environment. The statement being that if it’s embarrassing to one person, it’s most likely embarrassing for everyone else witnessing in the room. Being noisy in an otherwise quiet room is also frowned upon. People correct us, rather than let us embarrass ourselves and distract others. We have been socialized into these behaviors. What is appropriate behavior was learned at a young age. This is what sociologists refer to as the generalized other, or the application of certain behaviors to certain environments. Even if it is not explicitly stated, if a room is quiet when a person enters they are expected to maintain the same environment. This is the reason that mothers shush their children while visiting a bank, but let them talk while in the grocery store. It is also why adults do not sleep on church pews during a church service, but it is common to see small children displaying this behavior. People are expected to exhibit certain behaviors based on their age, social class, and the environment they are in. If they do not comply with these implied behaviors, they are breaking social norms.
Jacey Tosh
Jacey Tosh
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