Erving Goffman discusses micro-sociology through presentation of the self and face work. About presentation, Goffman states, “I have said that when an individual appears before others his actions will influence the definition of the situation which they have come to have” (p.6). This is important because it will set up the premise for our flash mob. Goffman goes on to say that sometime individuals will act in a certain manner because he wants to evoke a certain image for others to see. This is ties in with what Goffman has to say about the face. “A person may be said to have, or be in, or maintain face when the line he effectively takes presents an image of him that is internally consistent, that is supported by judgments and evidence conveyed by other participants” (p.6). Both of these ideas help to elaborate about our classes failed attempt at a flash mob.
Our goal as a class was to come together and be unified in a flash mob so that the other actors at the Inner Circle would realize we were together as a group. Unfortunately our class was spread so far apart that we did not appear to have any unity. Instead, we possibly looked as if we were smaller groups jumping on a band wagon that no one else understood. This was primarily because we weren’t unified in following instructions about when we should have cawed louder or perhaps started to stand up and flap our arms like wings. I arrived early and was trying to see if I could spot everyone else from class. I decided present myself in a manner that would have been expected of me by buying food and sitting down with a couple classmates. When the time arrived for us to begin, I could not do anything. The two students who sat with me were making cawing sounds but I just couldn’t force myself to participate. I’m a particularly shy individual who does not enjoy having any attention on me when I’m in a crowded, public area. I felt as if I had to save face because I was embarrassed that I was sitting with someone who was cawing.
Going into the situation I had high hopes for how disruptive this could potentially be. Reading the instructions list from my email, I let my mind run wild. Unfortunately, my mind was the only thing that was over active. I noticed our instructor sitting a table in the middle of Inner Circle. I remembered wondering if he was recording and if he would start cawing with the rest of us. When I did not notice any movement, I decided to sit back and have a chuckle as the other students were trying to figure out what was going on. In my mind, I had grand ideas about what would really shake things up. I was expecting someone from class to standup on the table, flap their make-believe wings and begin cawing. That’s exactly what I would have done, had I not cared so much about my presentation of the self. I did not want to have to save face, so I slunk down low and pretended I had no idea what was going on.
In the end, it was over before I knew it. There were students in the Inner Circle who thought it was hilarious and joined our group. They obviously did not care about saving face and did not worry about how they presented themselves. I on the other hand, cared too much about what others thought about me presenting myself as anything other than a student. Sadly I think there were many other classmates who shared my same sentiments, which was why our attempt at a flash mob was unsuccessful.
Our goal as a class was to come together and be unified in a flash mob so that the other actors at the Inner Circle would realize we were together as a group. Unfortunately our class was spread so far apart that we did not appear to have any unity. Instead, we possibly looked as if we were smaller groups jumping on a band wagon that no one else understood. This was primarily because we weren’t unified in following instructions about when we should have cawed louder or perhaps started to stand up and flap our arms like wings. I arrived early and was trying to see if I could spot everyone else from class. I decided present myself in a manner that would have been expected of me by buying food and sitting down with a couple classmates. When the time arrived for us to begin, I could not do anything. The two students who sat with me were making cawing sounds but I just couldn’t force myself to participate. I’m a particularly shy individual who does not enjoy having any attention on me when I’m in a crowded, public area. I felt as if I had to save face because I was embarrassed that I was sitting with someone who was cawing.
Going into the situation I had high hopes for how disruptive this could potentially be. Reading the instructions list from my email, I let my mind run wild. Unfortunately, my mind was the only thing that was over active. I noticed our instructor sitting a table in the middle of Inner Circle. I remembered wondering if he was recording and if he would start cawing with the rest of us. When I did not notice any movement, I decided to sit back and have a chuckle as the other students were trying to figure out what was going on. In my mind, I had grand ideas about what would really shake things up. I was expecting someone from class to standup on the table, flap their make-believe wings and begin cawing. That’s exactly what I would have done, had I not cared so much about my presentation of the self. I did not want to have to save face, so I slunk down low and pretended I had no idea what was going on.
In the end, it was over before I knew it. There were students in the Inner Circle who thought it was hilarious and joined our group. They obviously did not care about saving face and did not worry about how they presented themselves. I on the other hand, cared too much about what others thought about me presenting myself as anything other than a student. Sadly I think there were many other classmates who shared my same sentiments, which was why our attempt at a flash mob was unsuccessful.