According to Jeffrey C. Alexander, Kenneth Thompson, and Laura Desfor Edles, a subculture consists of “the symbols and lifestyles of a subgroup in a society, one that deviates from the “normal,” more general culture in a society (7). Given that the fifth floor of Vilas offices faculty and staff, I determined that any posting that strayed from the topics of education and research would help identify subculture. Because of this, I decided to consider the fifth floor of Vilas in comparison to other areas that had a concentration of faculty. Thus, I neglected to look at the postings that included the topics of lectures/discussions or research in order to investigate what set the subculture of Vilas apart from other …show more content…
According to Alexander, Thompson, and Desfor Edles, “a researcher would be interested in discovering whether two variables seem to change their values in tandem” (40). Due to the laid-back nature of the postings, I would suggest that posting regulations and personal expression are two variables that affect one another. I hypothesize that if posting regulations were to increase, personal expression through bulletin boards would decrease, leading to a greater focus on academic-based postings. Additionally, I would deduce that personal relationships and self expression are two variables that affect one another. I hypothesize that the bonds and relationships held among those that work on the fifth floor lead to a greater amount of posting about personal life and expression. Though these variables may not be the only factors influencing the postings on the fifth floor, they may hint at the area’s