Civil Inattention
Civil inattention, a social norm sociologist Erving Goffman termed, is "is the process whereby strangers who are in close proximity demonstrate that they are aware of one another, without imposing on each other – a recognition of the claims of others to a public space, and of their own personal boundaries." (Wikipedia).
I personally believe that this is an important topic because it's about privacy. Of course, people are entitled to their privacy, but in public spaces, it's never guaranteed that you're around people who are aware of social norms or even care about the concept of social norms. I know for me, I 100% eavesdrop on people's conversations. Rarely ever do I join in, unless I know the person, but still, by listening in and not giving them their privacy, I am violating the norm of 'civil inattention'.
I think that if you're talking loud enough for me to hear, maybe there are some other social norms we need to talk about because I usually wear my headphones, so there's clearly a bigger problem here!
I personally believe that this is an important topic because it's about privacy. Of course, people are entitled to their privacy, but in public spaces, it's never guaranteed that you're around people who are aware of social norms or even care about the concept of social norms. I know for me, I 100% eavesdrop on people's conversations. Rarely ever do I join in, unless I know the person, but still, by listening in and not giving them their privacy, I am violating the norm of 'civil inattention'.
 |
| flickr creative commons - elaine |
I think that if you're talking loud enough for me to hear, maybe there are some other social norms we need to talk about because I usually wear my headphones, so there's clearly a bigger problem here!
Comments
Post a Comment