The Mall of America is situated in Bloomington, Minnesota. It is one of the largest malls in America and receives millions of visitors annually. Hence there are thousands of visitors and interactions seen there. This paper will discuss the various social roles and interactions observed from various factors such as non-verbal cues, environmental settings, and the use of technology.
An interaction observed was that of a couple and their two children, a boy, and a girl. The children were pulling their parents towards an amusement park. The parents refused to budge and shook their heads as if to say no. The mother suddenly took hold of the boy’s hand firmly and shook a finger at him. She then glanced at the girl who stood upright and looked keenly at her brother. The parents displayed their authority, especially after the mother held the boy who was about to throw a tantrum. She also shot a look at her daughter, whom she held to be more reasonable and, therefore, influenced her brother. The children were annoyed and looked at their parents as being mean during that instance but ultimately gave in to their authority. The children were communicating their eagerness to go to the park while the parents communicated their displeasure and ultimately their command, which the children respected due to their social role.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Another observation was a group of 5 teenagers. There were three boys and two girls who were strolling around holding drinks and laughing cheerfully. There were a couple and two others who seemed to be flirting. The couple had their hands intertwined as they walked along and exchanged their drinks. The other girl and one of the boys seemed to share stories and occasionally shot looks at each other. The remaining boy, who was situated between them, seemed to nod and smile. His gaze was also often away from the group, which indicated he felt left out or seemed to have no intimacy with any of them. In another place, a lady was sitting outside an open diner. She had her earphones to her ears and could be seen looking anxiously at the crowd and then back to her device. The device seemed to be her way of avoiding contact with strangers. It seemed as if she was waiting for someone and her phone was just a distraction tool that helped hide her anxiety.
In one of the restaurants, a well-dressed man was issuing directions to the employees. It looked as if he was shouting at them and directing all their operations. This authoritarian telling approach showed his authority as a manager. This leadership is not the most effective one, since the very best leaders such as Nelson Mandela humble themselves and use their moral authority to inspire others (Friedman, 2013). Authoritarian leaders, also called the great intimidators, may be successful but are viewed as hard to work with and often lack social intelligence (Kramer, 2006). The telling approach may work due to the need to ensure such a busy restaurant is well run, but the employees' slumped shoulders showed their discomfort with such constant supervision.
Environmental factors also affect how people communicate and interact. The patio outside where the lady with the phone was, is constructed in a manner that is different from other shops in the area. The tables are set in a manner where the other is set laterally if one is placed longitudinally. This creates a feeling of privacy since no couple or family at any of the tables is directly facing another one. The seats are also placed along the length of the table, ensuring people sit opposite each other. This creates a sort of equality since people on both sides face each other the fact that there is no one seat on any side ensures no one is at the head of the table like in classical dining rooms.
The Mall of America has a lot of art, logos, and light. Various artworks, such as the newly introduced recreation of the Sistine Chapel, attract many customers. Collaboration with visual artists has been found to boost a brand's image among new customers (Kim et al., 2018). Some places have bright rainbow colors, while others are lit in dim colors. For example, the SEA LIFE section is lit in a blue haze, which creates a dark, relaxed, somber environment that is perfect for viewing the sea creatures in the aquarium. The brighter colors and lighting in Nickelodeon Universe, FlyOver America, Crayola Experience, and other similar sections align with the vibrancy and cheerful environments where people, especially children, have fun and enjoy themselves. I think the mall could add more visual arts of modern pop culture, especially movie characters, to attract younger customers.
Clothing is another environmental factor that communicates and shows social roles. Teenagers and younger adults wore more revealing and fitting clothes, which portrayed their comfort and readiness to engage in fun activities such as for photoshoots. Some adults, such as Muslim and Hindu women, wore unique clothing covering almost all parts of their bodies. This sent a message of respectability and showed their social roles such as wives and mothers. The brighter clothes won by Indian women, especially the younger girls, are sometimes confused to mean conservatism and lack of modernity, which is wrong since they are a showcase of cultural pride. This stereotype has also been shown for Muslim women wear headscarves, which has led to the ban of such clothing in public forums in some countries and increasing infringement and harassment in America (ACLU, n.d., Weichselbaumer, 2019). This creates a negative view of such women and makes them feel uncomfortable, especially when denied a part of their culture.
Non-verbal cues are elements of everyday speech. If observed well, they can relay social roles and the feelings of the makers. The environmental setting and other factors, such as technology, also affect communication.
References
ACLU. (n.d.). Discrimination against Muslim women - Fact sheet . American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org/other/discrimination-against-muslim-women-fact-sheet
Friedman, T. L. (2013, December 11). Why Mandela was unique . The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/opinion/friedman-why-mandela-was-unique.html
Kim, P., Chang, H., Vaidyanathan, R., & Stoel, L. (2018). Artist-brand alliances to target new consumers: Can visual artists recruit new consumers to a brand? Journal of Product & Brand Management , 27 (3), 308-319. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm-02-2017-1412
Kramer, R. M. (2006, February 1). The great Intimidators . Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2006/02/the-great-intimidators
Weichselbaumer, D. (2019). Multiple discrimination against female immigrants wearing headscarves. ILR Review , 73 (3), 600-627. https://doi.org/10.1177/0019793919875707
