W10.2 Public observation task-GUO YING

 For this public observation task, I chose the Hongdae Entrance Station in Seoul. As a vibrant urban space filled with youth culture and heavy foot traffic, Hongdae Station offers an excellent setting for understanding everyday social behavior. I observed four key areas: the waiting zone, the escalator area, the stairway, and the station entrances and exits. Each of these spaces showcased distinct yet interconnected patterns of social interaction. I conducted my observations at different times of the day, including the morning rush hour and the evening commute, in order to capture a wide range of crowd dynamics.

What Did I Do?

I positioned myself in each area and conducted silent observations, trying not to disrupt the environment. In the waiting zone, I noticed that most people stood quietly behind the marked lines with little to no interaction. Phones and earphones served as personal boundaries, helping to maintain a silent form of “social distance.” On the escalators, people instinctively stood on the right, always leaving the left side open for those in a hurry—no one violated this unspoken rule. In the stairway area, I observed how people used eye contact and subtle body movements to quickly navigate and avoid collisions. Even in the entrance and exit areas, where foot traffic was dense, people managed to maintain order spontaneously and avoid chaos.

What Did I Learn?

Through this observation, I gained a deeper understanding of the concept of “order” in everyday life. I had previously assumed that crowded urban spaces with minimal verbal interaction would lead to disorder and confusion. However, it turns out that such environments actually foster more complex and effective behavioral norms among individuals. Whether it’s the silent agreement to “stand on the right,” the quick, instinctive judgments made on stairways, or the self-regulated flow through entrances and exits, these habits are behaviors people develop unconsciously over time. This reminded me of Erving Goffman’s theory of the “front stage” and “back stage.” In a highly public space like a subway station, everyone is in the “front stage” role—every movement, glance, and shift in position becomes a kind of performance under the watchful eyes of others. Even without direct interaction, we all contribute to maintaining the rhythm and functionality of the shared space through our actions. This kind of non-verbal cooperation is especially critical in the fast-paced context of urban life, as it reduces the need for explicit communication while enhancing efficiency. Moreover, I came to better understand how physical space influences social behavior. The flow design, signage layout, and spatial boundaries of a subway station greatly shape how people move and act. This idea—that architecture functions as a behavioral framework—made me realize that social life involves more than just interactions between people; it also includes interactions between people and the space they inhabit. Spatial design not only reflects social rules but actively shapes them.

Was It Interesting?

To be honest, this observation task was far more interesting than I had anticipated. Pausing in a usually fast-moving environment like a subway station and observing it through a sociological lens made even the most ordinary behaviors seem vivid and meaningful. Silent eye contact, slight shifts to make room, and the effortless flow of people all revealed a hidden logic of urban life. This was not just an exercise in behavioral observation—it was a powerful experience in understanding how social norms are quietly and naturally produced in everyday life.