A Step Down

Week Three - In the upper floor of a university hall, adjacent to a major stairwell, lay a small collection of seats and tables. This is an area is perfect for a moments rest between classes, a short period of study, or a small gathering of students partaking in a noon lunch.

On an exceptionally low traffic day, I have decided to move down from my usual position in the upstairs alcove to the lobby of the lower floor.  A large group of students are dispersed throughout the lobby sitting on and around a distribution of black leather sofas. One small girl, presumably hoping to catch some uninterrupted study time, has chosen to sit on a sofa closest to the entrance of the hall and nearest to the department offices. This location, being the most inadequate location for a student looking to socialize proves perfect for her.

In the back of the lobby, a large group of students are socializing within the space of three adjacent couches. Against a nearby wall, perhaps six feet away, is a smaller group of individuals socializing separately. Within the larger group, it can be observed that no individual has their phone out, as they are all engaged in conversation. However, in the smaller group, it can be seen that every member of the group has a phone or computer in front of them, or within easy reach. Conversation is light in this group--almost secondary to the tasks they are performing on their electronic devices. The larger group does not exhibit this dynamic.

Having come into contact with these students before, I know that their declared major is the only characteristic that relates them.  No student in the lobby holds a relationship greater than a simple friendship, however those sitting in the large group are sitting significantly closer to each other than those in the smaller group. Those sitting in line with one another on the couches are seated in such an array that their bodies are touching, regardless of space available on the couches. However, those sitting in front of the couches are seated close to three feet away, in a fanning pattern with approximately two-foot intervals between them. In the second group, those sitting in-line against the wall, a smaller one-foot spacing is observed.

It could perhaps be surmised that the definition of personal space, at least in concern to this group of students, differs based on location as well as orientation. For example, it could be said that a persons preferred personal space is smaller when seated on a coach as opposed to sitting on the floor. In the same regard, personal space is greater when seated on the floor in the middle of a room, as opposed to sitting against a wall. Personal space, a factor that is attributed to an individual’s overall concept of comfort at a given time, might be hypothesized to decreases as other areas of comfort increase, such as comfort in one’s seated position, in addition to relationship status, mood, etc. I will be paying more attention to these other factors in later notes.