- What norm did you violate?
The group violated the norm of personal space and privacy of people, specifically while they browsed their mobile phones.
- Describe the breaching experiment in detail. What was the activity? Where did you do it?
The group’s breaching experiment involved ‘invading’ the personal space and privacy of a person fixated on their mobile phones by shamelessly looking at it [their phones] despite being a stranger. A group member would peek or blatantly look at the device and would comment on whatever the person was invested in while making it seem that the group member was also interested in it. On some occasions, the group members chose to directly comment on the content that they’re seeing on the stranger’s device in hopes of getting reactions from the person. For example, a group member looked at the device of a stranger preoccupied with texting and noted “ang haba naman ng tinetext nito”. The group conducted the breaching experiment inside malls - specifically in UP Town Center and SM Marikina. The group mostly chose people who were sitting down or were casually standing/leaning while they focused on their devices. They also chose certain areas in the malls where they would conduct the breaching experiment, favoring places where there were relatively few people, an environment that was quite dim and unalive, and places where the halls were quite constricted so that not many people would see or witness the experiment as compared to open places where filming might be obvious.
- What were the different reactions of the people? List all possible reactions you observed. Why do you think they reacted this way? What caused these reactions? Did the deviant act reaffirm/reinforce the existing norms based on these reactions?
From the observations of the group, the reactions of the people generally ranged from indifference, to surprise, to amusement and to outright “rage mode”. The first guy the group tried the breaching experiment with was actually nervous because apparently, he thought our group mate was someone he knew but didn’t remember. He didn’t shy away when our group mate looked at his phone, and after the breaching experiment, he was even open to conversations with her. Another Kuya Guy was also chill even though our group mate was practically peering over his shoulder; he was just surprised at first but eventually he looked amused and continued to watch on his phone. On one occasion, our group mate was even able to strike a conversation with a guy who was playing games on his phone; the guy didn’t feel weirded out at all and even entertained his questions while exhibiting the combo moves of the game he was playing. On the other hand, complete indifference was what our group mate received from the two policemen; they just looked at our group mate and continued on with their businesses in their phones. Similarly, most of the other people in SM Marikina followed the same trend of indifference when the group looked at their phones; some found it a bit weird but they didn’t make a big deal out of it despite feeling a bit awkward or bewildered at such actions. Probably the highlight of this breaching experiment was the two ladies in UP Town Center; they were obviously pissed when our group mate tried the breaching experiment on them. They even gave our group mate a ‘once over’ and their body postures were notably stiff and on-guard. Moreover their eyes were quite venomous so to say, and it was pretty nerve-wracking to see and experience it in person.
We believe they acted this way primarily because it feels immensely awkward to have someone looking over your phone. Having a close friend or a loved one look over you as you browse your phone is unsettling enough, what more if the person doing it is a complete stranger? Perhaps one of the factors that also contributed to their reactions was that aside from looking, we also remarked on the things they’re viewing - which portrays a feeling of familiarity although it’s completely unexpected and possibly, uncalled for. The deviants have certainly reinforced existing norms of privacy and personal space especially on the two ladies who reacted negatively. The same trend can be said for the other subjects given that some felt surprised or amused by the act. However, there remains the other reactions by which the other subjects didn’t really mind the supposed deviation from the norms of privacy and personal space.
- Aside from the norms, what sociological themes are at play for people to react in a certain way? Is it a function of gender, social class, values/beliefs of institutions?
Aside from the social norm of personal space and privacy, the group was also able to observe sociological themes relating to social class. UP Town Center is typically considered a middle class-upper class space and the group believes that given the circumstances, reactions of people were more “relaxed” given that there’s this feeling that the people going to UPTC are of the same social class/higher social class or status thereby denoting a feeling of “safety” in the midst of people who aren’t likely to possess or commit inappropriate or malicious thoughts and/or actions. However, the group was also able to observe the most heated reaction from this social space. The group felt that the two ladies who got pissed at us suddenly had their walls held high after we did the breaching experiment; as expressed earlier, they gave our group mate a once-over and the group thinks that this gesture attests to the fact that appearances matter in the reactions they gave especially since we were dressed simply compared to their extravagant outfits. On the other hand, SM Marikina would probably be considered a social space for the ‘middle-lower class’ people compared to the crowd that UPTC caters to. The group believes that the reactions gathered from the subjects from SM Marikina (mostly of indifference) stems from the fact that maybe fascination towards another person’s possessions was nothing new to them. Moreover, they were generally more welcoming even though there’s already the act of overstepping on their personal space, or rather, they don’t feel as if the act done by the group was an act that invaded their privacy and personal space which could have been because of the social class they belong to. Moreover, it could be said that the these people are more ‘exposed’ to public space as compared to the individuals commonly found in UPTC who typically live private lives (e.g. live in villages, have their own vehicles/drivers).
- How did you feel when you did this experiment? How does it feel to deviate from the norms? Were you hesitant to do the activity?
I was extremely hesitant to do the activity. Since I myself feel uncomfortable if someone would invade my privacy, especially my phone (Pretty sure only I know my passcode, and the stuff here in my phone would probably be the reason why). During the three times I did the experiment, I had various reactions. During the first time, it was because they were policemen, so I was a bit scared. First-time jitters also got to me. The second one was very intimidating, considering the people I was about to approach. Upon looking at the girl’s screen, it was a phone conversation, which means I’m actually gonna have to make a statement that would look like I have every intention to break her privacy. Of all the three, this was the one I had the hardest time to do, and the one where I needed the most convincing. As for the last one, I felt really okay, since I was actually curious after seeing what he was playing. I could tell he wasn’t an average player, simply because he could execute a Hadoken (Yes, not everyone is aware that it’s ↓↘→ + P). Overall, it was an extremely fun experience that I will never do again. I don’t know how that last statement would make sense but it’s true. -Lan
Before we began the experiment, I had to mentally prepare myself to be embarrassed. Although I am not a shy and reserved person, it scared me half to death knowing that I would be violating social norms – even if it was intentional. When we found our first subject, I felt very hesitant to approach him. There were already different possible scenarios playing in my head – what if he got mad and reported me to security or made a scene which would embarrass me further? At the end of the day, I realized that despite knowing that I was not breaking any law in doing the experiment, I felt as if I were a social criminal. The social conditioning that I’ve gone through my entire life had made sure that I would police myself in moments when I felt like violating societal norms – intentionally or unintentionally. During and after the experiment, it felt as though it wasn’t their personal space we were testing, but myself and how I could go for the sake of accomplishing the project. It was an enriching experience, no doubt, however I’d be very hesitant to do a repeat of it because of the way I felt while performing the experiment. It was orchestrated but it didn’t feel any different from accidentally doing something embarrassing in public.
- Other observations and analysis that you may have on the activity and deviance in general.
The guard in UPTC was particularly concerned when the group conducted the breaching experiment on the two ladies in UP Town Center who were quite luxurious in appearance. I honestly thought he was going to call our group out for doing ‘inappropriate actions’ on the two ladies who were quite vocal with us but fortunately, he didn’t. Nobody minded us when we did the breaching experiment on other people though.
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