Frontstage vs. Backstage

Today I decided to go to a casual café, one that is considered a place where middle-class people go. I wanted to analyze it using the dramaturgy theory. This theory states that organizations can be examined like plays or movies. They have a setting, actors, roles, an audience, forestage and backstage behaviors. I went to a café called Bayt Al-Shami.

I observed peoples’ behaviors, the customers, and the waiters. I listened in on their conversations and I observed their behaviors.

In Grazian’s chapter about interaction theory, he talks about the fact that culture is determined by the social contexts in which we interact with others.

In a cultural context such as the one I was in today, there are certain norms and behaviors I expected to see, and others I didn’t expect to see. For example I expected to see middle-class people, behave moderately classy, yet not as classy as what I would expect someone to behave in a hotel. The norm would be for them to, not yell in the middle of the restaurant, yet not whisper in order for them to be classy.

The setting was a very regular setting, casual middle-eastern seating, low Arabic music playing in the background, and mixed gendered groups of people sitting together, whether they were friends or family.



The front stage behavior, which is the behavior that takes place where it is visible to the audience, i.e. the customers in the restaurant, was also very predictable. People are socialized to act a certain way based on the setting they are in, and for a place like this, it was normal to see children running around, and people occasionally getting loud.



As for the waiters, they’re expected to occasionally hover, to be polite, however, they’re not expected to be as professional as classy as waiters are in a hotel restaurant, and not as trashy as they are in a cheap “guy sheesha” places. Which is also what I observed in the front stage.



The back stage behavior was particularly interesting. I got close to the kitchen area and snapped a few pictures hoping one of them would be slightly clear, and I hovered a little to listen in on their conversations.



Some were yelling, some were laughing really loudly, and one of them was sing Baby for Justin Bieber, as his friends were huddled around him.

The drastic change between front stage and back stage definitely proved that the setting really does determine peoples’ behaviors.

SmartPhones: Bringing People Together or Splitting Them Apart?!

While the purpose of smartphones was to bring people together through email, chat, SMS and phone calls all on one device, the split they created among their users is getting wider each day. You would see advertisements for any newly established smartphone company that attacks the existing successful one. For example, this is an Apple mac advertisement making fun of Microsoft’s PC in 2009 even before smartphones get that popular:

Then suddenly Samsung started to get popular with their smartphones so they had to tackle the already established Apple iPhone. In this 2012 ad Samsung makes a mockery of iPhone fans waiting, in a long queue, for the release of the brand new iPhone.

Here is another video made by Samsung. Notice the part when he says "Some Smartphones are smarter than others".

With Samsung establishment in the field of smartphones, it has created its own fans, who started hating Apple and calling them “Sheep” or "iSheep". While on the other side Apple fans called Samsung fans “Copy Cats” or "Copy bots". The situation escalated, with the Apple-Samsung judicial fights over patents. This has split the two fans entirely and each side viewing itself superior over the other.

Nokia with its Microsoft Software couldn’t leave the Apple-Samsung fight without making use of it, to regain its popularity once more. In this ad Microsoft and Nokia make a mockery of Apple and Samsung fans.

Now let’s look on smartphone fans in three different Sociological perspectives:

According to the Functionalist Approach Samsung and Apple fans can be seen as the only way to achieve stability and order in the smartphone industry. At the end people can argue that these Samsung-Apple fights serve to help the audience understand the differences between the two products and not get fooled by the media. Therefore, it’s a positive thing.

In this functionalist perspective, Samsung fans gather collectively around their Android totem while the apple fans around the Apple totem. Behind the Apple and Android totems, fans collectively effervesce as they feel a shared feeling of identity in which they experience waves of emotions, a sense of unity and togetherness each behind his favorite logo. Some people feel the pride in wearing shirts that have their company’s totem on, or place their Apple stickers on their cars’ glass. Some other people speak about the advantages and disadvantages on each of the two popular phones of Samsung or Apple of the time and convince others about the best phone in their perspective. Therefore, each community started having its own way of looks and speech to recognize them from the other.

From an Apple fans’ perspective they view Samsung as an out-group which is a group toward which members of the in-group (Apple) feel a sense of separation, opposition, or hatred. Likewise for Samsung who identify Android followers as their in-group while apple fans as out-groups. Samsung and Apple fans despite their lack of physical proximity to one another still feel a sense of belonging each to his community whether its Apple or Samsung. This is what is defined by Grazian in his book “mix it up” as an “Imagined Community”.

According to the critical approach, the fame of Samsung and Apple reflect and reinforce the economic and cultural approach of mass media industry. Samsung and Apple can be defined as the dominant group in smartphones meaning that they are the group with the greatest power, the most privileges, and the highest social status. Statistics show that the Android and Apple market alone control 75.6% of the smartphone industry, so its normal to see Apple and Android fans (or Apple and Samsung fans, since Samsung is the most known Android smartphone).

In this approach one could call the huge firms the Bourgeoisie who are small group of modern capitalists who own the means of production, while the company’s fans as Proletariat who are a large group of population who use Samsung and Apple products and are influenced by their ideas.

However, it is important to acknowledge the awareness some people have when they choose their phones. For example, in these videos are interviews with two Texas A&M University at Qatar students studying Electrical and Computer Engineering like me. They look more into the technical specs than the producing company. (Excuse my tilted videos)

This takes us nicely to the interaction theory which states that culture is created, diffused and consumed among small groups of individuals. Many people buy the iPhone because they see their friends use the iPhones. Many others buy a Samsung phone because they received a word of mouth in their social network that it has higher technical specs. It’s not necessarily that the company intended to divide the consumers. It could be that the small micro-level interactions created the split that expanded and large firms took advantage over them.

My dear reader, while no one is sure which theory of the three sociological perspectives (functionalist, critical, or interaction) explains the realistic situation. It is up to you to choose the ones that make u happy and answer your questions. Certainly one can argue that all the three are bundled together. But which was the the theory that explains the Genesis of the Apple-Samsung conflict?!

West Bay Lagoon

          One of the most popular compounds in Qatar right now is West Bay Lagoon. It is known for its beautiful houses, large parks and international atmosphere. During class this week, we spoke about subcultures and the interaction theory, which I believe relates to this modern compound. Westbay Lagoon has a specific identity as they are portrayed as open minded individuals across Doha. They are considered a subculture as they have distinct characteristics that separate them from the rest of Qatar's population. Although there are a variety of different cultural backgrounds that live in this area, they consider each other family whenever they meet one another. This also relates to the looking glass-self theory as the residents in West Bay lagoon would not have this image if it was not for the rest of the society believing they are active individuals. In addition, the residents flaunt this image through their dress code and daily activities.

          When I was at the compound, I tried to relate it to the interaction theory. This concept is implemented when culture is created, diffused and consumed through social interactions among small groups of individuals such as friends and neighbours. West Bay Lagoon compound have a specific culture and it is especially exposed amongst their parks. The compound can also be classified as a subculture as we are a smaller group from Qatar’s population with certain beliefs and habits. A majority of residents in the compound have the same hobbies and most families have similar reasons to why they chose to live in West Bay     
           I visited one of the parks which is a 'scene' to this subculture. It is a place where members of this community interact and create a shared identity. I saw many families dressed in sportswear playing outdoor activities such as tennis, football and cycling. If one were cycling anywhere else in Qatar, the cars driving by would stop and stare. However, it is considered a norm in this community. This park is classified as scene because it caters to every single person in this compound. They have sections for different activities and therefore it became popular in a very short period of time. The residents demanded for more parks and thus every street number have a park to themselves. Although this decreases the chances of families interacting with one another from different streets, it is common to jog through all the parks of West Bay Lagoon, allowing them all to be filled with life and happiness.

       

      While walking through the parks, I tried to think like a sociologist and observed the activities that were being held. Every park had a tennis court, basketball court, a large grass field and swings for the younger kids. It was interesting to see how every park consisted of families doing the same activities even though they all came from different backgrounds. It was the norm for children to be playing sports while their parents walk around and enjoy the scenery. This standard behaviour could only be considered ordinary and expected through the interaction of families within this compound. In addition to the park being defined as a scene in the West Bay Lagoon subculture, I would classify it as a symbol as well. The families interact in this space, they exchange thoughts and ideas of what they do during their spare time. Therefore, this park symbolises friendship and is one of the main reasons this subculture was formed.

Dramaturgy: Abaya and Shayla vs. Public and Private Locale

The society we live in can be portrayed as a play. We are all the actors.

Erving Goffman first established this dramaturgical theory. Dramaturgical theory is basically a model in which our social interaction is viewed as if we were in a theatre, the people would be the actors, and our roles in society would be the performances. But that is not it. The more crucial part is the way we carry ourselves in social situations to reach our goals by using impression management.

The theory of Dramaturgy can be applied to nearly every interactive scene in our life in Qatar. A great example could be how Qatari girls act when they have their abaya and shayla on in public spaces and when they take it off in more private locale. 

In order to carry this experiment out, I decided to go for a walk around the cafeteria at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and the more private spaces in the university. From Goffman’s perspective, he uses the terminologies of ‘backstage’ and ‘front stage’ to describe this behaviour. By front stage, his stating the visible behaviour we have, where we take care of how we act and conserve our persona. Backstage behaviour would be when we get to do things that would be inappropriate by the public and the societal norms of the particular setting. I noticed how the girls in the cafeteria were more preserved around men and strangers, whereas, if they were in the private conference rooms in the library, they would have taken off their shayla and acted more inappropriate. For example, the girls at the cafeteria who were wearing their abaya and shayla spoke more softly and delicately, whereas the girls in the more private locale were louder and free.

Lastly and ironically enough, culture is created and consumed through our social interactions. And in this case, our interactions are with our friends, family members and colleagues.

The World in A Cultural Village!

On the 6 of March, I attended a very unique event that was held in Qatar University, and which was more like a celebration of different cultures, uniting a wide range of diverse countries and nationalities into a small village, called as “The Cultural Village.”



The Cultural Village is a great student event that enriches the audience with activities representing the variety of cultural heritages at Qatar University. It takes place annually and is organized by QU Students under the supervision and guidance of the Student Activities Department.



The event’s main objective is to introduce its audience to the different cultures of QU Students who come from various parts of the globe. The village will include a number of booths, exhibitions, and several cultural activities that reflect the uniqueness of each culture as perceived by the participants through folkloric shows, music, traditional customs, and plays. The best of all, this event is open to the public.





According to sociology, such event as considered a multi-cultural activity can be described using the Interaction Theory. It helps create cultural diffusion, which is the spreading of cultural traits, products, ideas, or behaviors from one culture to another. It is also a great opportunity for people coming from different countries to reflect their cultures by doing interesting and fun activities. Cultural village allows social and cultural interaction with a large, diverse audience and prevents any kinds of cultural gaps or stereotypes.



In addition to that, the Cultural Village is a great chance for the students to introduce themselves and know each other. It allows you to live between cultures and experience different countries’ norms and traditions by just setting there and having the spirit to observe and cheer.





What is also special about this event is that it is a great environment for the students to show off their talents and special capabilities, which helps enhance their self-confidence and leaves positive impressions on their community. I was really impressed by the students’ potentials as some of them were casting poems and speeches that they wrote by themselves. Others were acting, dancing, singing, and playing different musical instruments. In short, I can describe the Cultural Village as a fun and exciting way to travel around the world and explore different cultures and identities.

This video is one of the great performances done in the event, which is a Palestinian traditional dance called "Dabkeh."

Photography: A Silent Communication

Realizing the fact that cultures and civilizations from all over the world have distinct ways of approaching and interpreting art to express their identities, there might be one thing that they have in common: telling stories through photos. For example, it might be difficult for a lot of people who have no familiarity with music from the far-east of the globe to differentiate between J-pop and K-pop, while it’s easy for almost all people to tell what story lies behind a picture.

Since media is considered a major factor in spreading all forms of art in this century, the art of photography is no exception. It is that form of art that’s everywhere and we don’t often notice in our daily lives. It may not be as professional or spectacular as it sounds like from the name itself, but we do encounter it a lot in a single day. The simplest example that I can think of at the top my head is about something that you can’t leave your house without such as your national ID card, your health card, your driver’s license, or even your passport. But have you ever thought of that picture of yourself printed on either national documents? I mean, who took those pictures of you? Of course it wasn't anengineer or a doctor because each individual has its own role in order for a society to function well. To answer the preceding question, that person is definitely a photographer.

Like other cultures of art, photography has its own subcultures as well. As some photographers work in professional studios where people are usually the ones that would come to them to be photographed, others travel from a country to another for the sake of having a close-up of what they want to take a picture of because of the nature of their jobs, such as photography journalists.

Apart from considering photography as a career, some people enjoy it as a hobby. Many people would usually buy professional cameras, take creative shots, (maybe) edit them with special softwares like Adobe Photoshop, and publish them to online photography galleries such as Flickr or istockphoto to share them with people from different regions of the world. Those able photographers would even make money out of their photos by selling them to people who might be interested in photography. In relation to the cultural theories, this sort of collaboration between photographers and people in a society clearly serves the interaction theory of a culture, in which two or more members in a society work to benefit from each other without being suppressed by outer powers.

Early Adopters: Geeky or Savvy?

My earlier blog about consumerism and materialism reflects the effect of the culture industry in designing products that make us consume more and more, transforming us into mindless consumers of popular culture and cultural products produced by culture industries...



However there is another dimension of consumerism that I would like to explore further. I know a special kind of consumer, the person you usually find first in line to purchase the new phone, the new ipod, the new laptop, the new “gadget” and the latest technology or model of whatever it is the culture industry is selling us.
Meg is a Texas student in the petroleum engineering major. He is also what Grazian refers to as an “early adopter”, an early consumer of a given company product or technology. As far as early adopters are concerned, he is definitely a record breaker. I’ve known him for 3 years, and whenever I buy something new, he always has something newer. He always makes what I own look out of date. My phone is always at least three generations behind his, and my other entertainment gadgets like my ipod are definitely not the “best” option according to him.



If you aren’t an early adopter, I’m sure you know one. Yes I’m talking about the person who can’t wait to show you their new special edition ipod, their new laptop with new features, their new camera, and their new high-tech gadget that can do something so cool – way cooler than what you already own. If the new products are not yet available in stores for you to line up in a cue, he would be the first to purchase it online before it is available for sale locally.



Early adopters are not just geeky consumers as many may think. Their influence on brand success, and impact on society and the consumerist culture can be significant. Potential consumers often seek early adopters’ advice, as they are way ahead in terms of expertise and knowledge on the particular product or innovation. Early adopters would have had more time being acquainted with the product than potential adopters and so would have acquired better understanding of its functions, uses and features. It is then likely that I ask my friend Meg whether I should purchase a certain piece of technology or gadget. Knowing that he would already have that particular item or replaced it about three times he would be a good source for advice and information. Even though I might look up a lot of reviews and information online, the “word-of-mouth” aspect of the interaction theory could be more effective in terms of convincing me to buy a given product. As this analysis on early adopters states, early adopters may “serve as a role model for many other members of a social system”. Early adopters then become somewhat respected by their peers and exemplify a way of using and purchasing products introduced by companies.



When I ask Meg for advice on a given gadget or piece of technology, his role is then to lower my uncertainty of purchasing it and to provide me with a vicarious hands-on experience through his own. His experience may not always be the best. Early adopters can face downfalls, but these negative experiences can serve the benefit of others.



Meg is not an online review or brochure, but someone who is not just trying to sell me a product. Hence, it is only natural that his peers and myself look to him for advice on new products. The effect a “Meg” would bring on any given society is more or less equal. We look to these early adopters for hopes of a successful purchase. It is always rewarding when you invest in something that proves to be suitable and worthwhile. So can early adopters transform us into savvy consumers?

Online Multiplayer Games: Social Interactions in A Second Life!

Playing online games has become a social experience. It’s a recent and successful genre by which players can interact and connect with each other easily via different massively multiplayer online games. These new games are purposefully created to encourage social interactions among players. Members of these communities typically share an interest in online gaming and a great deal of the interaction between them is technologically mediated. However this phenomenon is dramatically spreading around societies that it’s becoming a threat in a way that people are becoming addicts to a virtual world, and forgetting about reality.





Sociology and Psychology tend to place a great emphasize on studying this virtual social interaction by applying different theories. For example, psychologists argue that one of the main reasons behind the success of this genre is that players are more likely to avoid stress-causing relationships when they develop an online society, resulting in more stable and social networks, and that’s is described by the Structural Balance Theory. In addition to that, sociologists best describe this behavior by the Interaction Theory, which basically talks about the following:





Online multiplayer games enable the formation of lasting relationships. They encourage interaction and collaboration between players, which may be through a certain condition for making progress in a game, or a game may be based on competition between players. For example, some online games enable its player to get married and have a virtual wife or husband with children!





Sociologists also argue that the technological communication tools that a typical multiplayer game offer to its players such as text, image, and sound, support this virtual interaction and enable communication between whole groups and communities. In addition to using the modes of communication offered by games, members of multiplayer communities may keep in touch face to face, over the phone, or even via email.



Moreover, long-term online interactions serve the whole world by gathering different communities, each with distinctive culture and identity in a small, social village. For example, appearance or age, are often insignificant in multiplayer gaming communities. A 15-year-old Arabic schoolgirl, a 30-year-old French housewife, and a 45-year-old American businessman can all be members of the same community.

Online social networks

The most popular online social network website

The first website that comes to everyones mind when they first hear online social networks is Facebook. Everyone in the world spends infinite amount of time on the internet, and the worst source of procrastination is Facebook. They spends hours on the website without even realizing the time whooshing by when they should be working on other more important things, such as writing blog posts on Qatar Culture Club! One way of explaining the phenomenon of Facebook is through the interaction theory as there are different groups of individuals coming together, sharing their experiences and culture with the friends added to their profile. Facebook is not the first website that began to fulfill this purpose, there are other online social networks that were online before Facebook even started. Who could forget Myspace, people still use it( just not as much as before), or Hi5 or Bebo, there were many different website that used to bring people together but Facebook is probably the most successful one at doing so.

I always thought the site One of the first social

was called HiS when i was younger network sites I joined

The new design of what was formerly Myspace is now My____. Perhaps it was altered to attract more people to join and stay on their website.

People are attracted to online forms of socializing because they all belong to their own social networks and it is easiest to keep themselves updated by using the internet. Lets go back to Facebook, where you can create different lists where you divide people on your friends list to the different social networks you belong to, such as having different options for family than those compared to high school friends or new acquaintances.

Online social networks are not merely used for entertainment, they can also be used for infotainment (meaning information and entertainment, as i learnt in a recent class). Through new or old acquaintances there could be useful connectors who would be useful for future reference. Theres always that one person on our list who seems to have an opinion on everything and ,as annoying as that might be sometimes, it is useful to have opinion leaders in your circle or friends so that you could have them share their expertise of knowledge about cultural products.