Blog Post #2 Mall Observation
My chart of observations:
Description:
*People are sharing food. A young boy, around three years old, gives his mother a bite of his
pizza. The boy has dark brown, almond shaped eyes and dark brown hair. The mother smiles
when she receives the bite of pizza.
Interpretation:
* The mother is happy to see her son and to see that he is sharing.
Description:
*The mother, who has long black hair around shoulder length, speaks to an older woman with a
dark brown bob. The older woman is probably in her fifties or sixties. They speak a
language other than English. The two women smile warmly at each other. The older woman hands
a small amount of money to the younger woman.
Interpretation:
*Perhaps the two women know each other. They may even possibly be related. They could be
mother and daughter.
Description:
*The older woman gives the younger woman a high five and they speak excitedly.
Description:
* There are advertisements all throughout the food court. One large advertisement hanging on a
wall is for a car dealership. There are also advertisements above the various restaurants
displaying the food being sold. All of the advertisements are illuminated.
Interpretation:
*The mall is a good place to target consumers. The mall receives a lot of traffic so the
advertisements are sure to be seen. Also, since the mall is full of people buying products,
it can be assumed that these people would be interested in buying other goods in the future.
The signs are illuminated because the light helps attract the eye of the passerby.
Description:
* There is a mix of natural and artificial light in the food court. Skylights help to keep the area
bright. There is music playing in the background. Music, however, is not the only sound. There
is a cacophony of noises including people talking, spatulas scraping against grills, and in the
distance there is the sound of someone shaking a plastic bag.
Description:
* A young boy is sitting at the table to the left of me. He has dark hair and dark eyes. He is
probably about four years old. He is wearing a cream colored sweater with a picture of a dog
on it. He yells an unintelligible sound very loudly and his father gently scolds him. The boy
procceds to hold the food he is eating up to his nose (presumably to smell it). Next, the boy
begins to walk around as he eats and even gets up to look under the table.
Interpretation:
* The boy seems to be very curious about his environment. He seems to be completely
occupied by his wonder.
Description
* An elderly man with circular glasses sits alone at a table near me. He has grey hair but it is
very thin and wispy. He flips through a long, printed, formal document. The document has
text and graphs. He compares the document he is reading to a notepad he has been writing on.
He looks back and forth from document to document multiple times. During this process, he
never once looks up from his work. Finally, he stops looking from document to document,
looks up and smiles.
Interpretation:
*The man seems to be very focused on his work. Perhaps when he looks up and smiles he has
found an important connection.
Description:
* Many families are gathered in the food court. They share tables, food, and conversation.
Interpretation:
* Shopping and especially eating are bonding experiences.
Description:
* Two young girls, probably in elementary school, wear thick coats, hats, and other winter
gear. They have bright beads in their hair. They approach us and ask us to support their
swim team by buying a chocolate bar. The girls speak very quietly and keep their eyes
down.
Interpretation:
* The girls seem to be nervous and shy. Perhaps they are not used to approaching and
talking to strangers. They may be nervous because they are speaking to people
who they do not know and who are much older.
Reflection
I completed this assignment with Josh DeJesus. When we compared our notes, we discovered that we interpreted what we saw very differently due to our different backgrounds and mental filters. For example, when describing people, I normally focused on physical attributes such as hair and eye color. Josh, on the other hand, often described race. Although I noticed race, I consciously chose not to describe it. I attended a public school that was homogenously white and Christian. Race for me, therefore, tends to be a taboo subject. I am in no way racist. Perhaps I am just somewhat uncomfortable talking about race. Josh grew up in a very racially diverse school and was, therefore, more comfortable with the topic.
Another major difference between our descriptions was that mine tended to be more detailed and descriptive whereas Josh's were more general. My tendency toward description probably stems from my love of literature and writing poems. I also seemed to focus more on the mix of contrasting noises that filled the room. I was much attuned to the various sounds because I am passionate about music.
A final major difference between our descriptions was that I concentrated on many of the advertisements I saw around me. I described the type of advertisements and how they were illuminated to attract people's eye. I noticed the advertisements not because of something from my background, but rather because of something affecting me presently. This semester I am taking a Consumer Politics and Culture Class, in which we often discuss the nature of advertising.
This is a funny comic about perspective that I can relate to!
