Elevator Observation Report

Improved Essays
The social task of riding an elevator is one that I believe many of us take for granted. You might even say it is as simply as the elevator opens, you get on, hit your floor, and go about your day? However, from a sociological point of view, riding an elevator is far more involved than such a rudimentary set of actions. In fact, there is a plethora of social norms we (normally) choose to follow when riding elevators. One such norms is giving a quick a nod of the head or offering a quick hello (emphasis on quick) upon greeting our fellow elevator riders. Another social norm us humans tend to conform to when riding evaluators is not pressing all the floor buttons, but instead only pressing the one assigned to your floor. (The Odyssey Online). …show more content…
One of the most common reactions was the riders (those already in the elevator) looking completely miffed, and confused as to why I was essentially refusing to join them in the elevator. This caused the riders to question me, by saying things along the lines of “no-no… there is room… get in”. Commonly, this type of reaction was accompanied by someone holding the door open for me while saying “there is room…”. Such made things a tad awkward, being that it was now very obvious that I was determined not ride the elevator with them — for one reason or …show more content…
This is to say when I gave my response it was as if what I said made perfect sense to them. In an odd way this reaction almost came off as being the most peculiar. I believe that their lack of a reaction spoke to how they were as people. I do not know if this was because those giving the reaction were too shy to say anything? Or maybe because they are simply laid-back people who are not bothered by such little things? Nonetheless, it was very interesting to me. Perhaps the lack of a reaction could be in part due to me performing the experiment in a busy college dorm building? More times than not, the people in the elevator were talking with friends, or possibly on their way somewhere — maybe in a rush to get to class, many were preoccupied with their phones — thus, not easily intrigued. (The University News). Overall, I would categorize this reaction as the riders being genuinely

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