Minding Their Personal Space

Week Two - In the upper floor of a university hall, adjacent to a major stairwell, lies 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.

A group of students are already seated in a small circle as I enter the alcove. They are clothed in a manner that makes little statement, other than they enjoy dressing in a comfortable manner. They seem to be talking about their music classes. It’s interesting to note that all the students have their phones resting atop of the surface of the table, however the phones of the male students all have their phones facing downward, as if they are more concerned with the conversation at hand, rather than their personal media. Conversely, the females of the table all have their phones arranged with their screens facing upward, and frequently let their eyes wander to sporadic updates relayed by these devices.

A few minutes after my arrival, half od the group leaves to attend their respective classes. Two students remain, male and female, yet they don’t appear to wish to converse. The female, Glasses, plugs a set of ear buds into her phone and begins listening to music, while the male pulls out his laptop and begins typing in a consistent manner. The female, immersed in her music, begins to sing. She isn’t loud enough for her voice to reach outside of the alcove, however it does appear to have an effect of the male, who now frequently looks up from his computer with looks of disapproval. Glasses, however, appears oblivious to the males discomfort.

After a minute or so of Glasses singing, two male students exit the stairwell and approach the alcove. One student notices and recognizes the song that glasses is immersed in, and begins harmonizing with her. The two collectively complete the last thirty minutes of the pieces, before finally squealing with delight under the realization of what they had just done together. The male who had been previously typing away at his computer is now thoroughly annoyed and is packing his computer away to leave. Approximately three minutes after his departure, the two males also depart with Glasses. I leave shortly after.

A few days later I return to the alcove, which is empty at this point in the morning, and begin working on a class assignment as I wait for students to arrive. After an hour or so immersed in my coursework, I look up from my laptop to see no less than eight students sitting in the alcove. These students are all sitting such that they have at least three feet of space between one another, and none of them are speaking to one another. Half of the students are busily working on their laptops, while the other half or avoiding eye contact with one another by starring up at the ceiling. The alcove is completely silent.

From this last account, I would wonder what defines the distance regarded as personal space between individuals, if this spacing differs between genders, ethnic groups, individuals of different relationship statuses, ages, etc. I will begin to make note of these distances in my later posts.