week 4(extra credit)-Interaction Observation Reflection （Everyday Life and Social Structure）CHEN SIWEN 진사문

 1.Interaction Observation Reflection 

For this observation task, I visited a convenience store near campus and quietly watched the interactions between customers and staff. I focused on a short exchange between an elderly cashier and a university student. The student bought coffee and a rice ball, and the cashier kindly joked, “Coffee again? Don’t stay up too late.” The student replied, “I need this to survive the day.” They both smiled — a brief but meaningful moment.

Using Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical theory, I saw this as a small performance. The store is the front stage, and the cashier and student are actors. Their speech, body language, uniforms, and even the items they touched are props. Each plays a socially expected role, maintaining politeness and warmth.

This task helped me realize how even everyday moments are rich with social meaning. It taught me to observe more closely and appreciate the small “social performances” happening all around us.

2. Reflections on The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

To better understand this observation, I delved into Erving Goffman's The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Although the language is somewhat academic, the concepts are striking. For example, the idea of "teamwork" made me realize that even in a small setting like a convenience store, interactions are influenced by “team members” — such as other employees or bystanders.

The book is admittedly a bit difficult to digest, but it pushed me to pay attention to the social behaviors we often take for granted yet are full of meaning. I believe it’s an excellent book for our generation of social science students because it teaches us to “see the social in the everyday.”