Dangers of attempting ethnographic research while in a foul mood
Yesterday evening after a group project involving observing people “consuming media” in Best Buy and Borders, I found myself extremely challenged to concoct any interesting analysis of the experience. My frustration came out in my writing, and I guess I adopted a rather negative tone. As Jenn so nicely described it, I ended up dissing the majority of the mall going population:
The easily observable characteristics such as age, gender, race and apparent social relationships quickly seemed insufficient. I found myself wondering about the personalities and backgrounds of these people. Who goes to the mall on a Saturday afternoon? What sort of person hangs out in Best Buy to play guitar hero? What brings people to linger in the food court picking at cinnabuns to the drab sounds of Mall Radio?
I only ever visit the mall out of necessity, such as when I’m searching for easy Christmas presents for people I don’t know well, or when I need to simultaneously shop for pillows, coat hangers, pain relievers, and electric fans. Nowhere in the mall can I find items that I desperately want to purchase or consume. I’ve never had any happy accidents in the mall, never stumbled into something new and unfamiliar, never been forced to reexamine myself, my tastes or my assumptions. For me the term “mall” conjures only expectations of generalized boredom, a dead zone of mediocrity, far removed from both the enjoyable warmth of poppy kitsch and the happy surprises of the niche.
This attitude was obviously not shared by the many people we observed hanging around the mall that afternoon. Certainly some of them were like me, in and out for a specific goal. But judging by our observations in Best Buy and Borders, a significant portion of the people there were enjoying the mall as an experience rather than a shopping resource…