Discussion of the MicroCulture

UNC, the university of the Tarheels, but amongst the growing Tarheel culture lays hundreds or maybe even thousands of smaller cultures known as microculture. For those of you who do a not know a microculture is a small group (some are actually pretty big) of people who have a common interest or share similar goals. Some may call these groups “cliques.” The microculture that interested me was the “gym goers,” to the point that I actually went to the gyms on campus to observe this growing group. My goal was to discover what the norms were and how was the atmosphere. I compared two gyms on campus: Rams and the Student Recreation Center (SRC). I believe that each gym would share similar aspects which would most likely be the norms, and that the atmosphere of each would be very sociable.

I spent two hours observing this microculture, an hour at each gym. I have already stated my observation in the previous blogs below, so now I just plan on comparing the two set of observations. Through comparing I will explain what were the norms, and even giving my explanation of why certain aspects were the way they were.

Upon entering the gyms the first prevalent characteristics among the people was their attire. Majority of people wore t -shirts and shorts. This I believe to be the normal gym attire; the reason being is that it is a lot easier to work out in shorts and a shirt then jeans and coat. However I did notice one “gym goer” in jeans. My only assumption to this is that he was not prepared to come to the gym that day. I’m guessing it was a “spur of the moment” kind of thing.

Another big similarity was that gyms were somewhat segregated by gender. My explanation behind this is that the male tend to be on the “weight-side” because they were interested in gaining muscle mass or in other words “getting bigger.” Unlike the men the women tended to be on the machines (treadmills, bikes, etc). I believe this to be because women tend to go to the gym to stay in shape or lose weight which would explain the segregation.

There were a lot of similarities, but there were also a few differences between the two gyms. When observing Rams I noticed the lack of people and the small number of groups. Most of the people worked out alone, and they didn’t talk as much; unlike the SRC which was very sociable, had a nice amount of people and majority of them were in groups. I believe the reason for this difference was due o the fact that I observed these gyms at different times. I went to Rams in the morning, in which a lot of people have class then which explain its emptiness. On the other hand I went to the SRC in the afternoon and on the weekend which would explain the crowdedness.

In the end after looking over all my observation I believe the similarities shared between the two gyms to be the norms. I also believe my hypothesis about the similar environments to be correct except for the fact that the SRC was more sociable due to the fact that I observed the gyms at different times of the day.

Day 2 of Observations

My 2nd day of observing this microculture also went well. Unlike Day 1, this time I did my observation at Fetzer Gym. I started at 5:30 pm and finished at 6:30pm. This gym is split between an upstairs and downstairs.

Downstairs

• Weights and Machines
• Mostly weight machines
• Big mirror in front of weights
• A few Treadmills
• Mostly men and a few girls

Upstairs

• Treadmills and Bicycles
• An aerobics room
• Mostly women and a few men

Observations

• More social then Rams gym
• Everyone was wearing T-shirt and athletic shorts
• When lifting weights people tend to look in the mirror
• There were more groups in here then in Rams. There were actually only a few people who were alone.
• Overall the atmosphere was good, and the people seemed nice and helpful.
• Mostly young men and women, but there were a few more older people then there were in Rams.

Day 1 of Observation

My first day of observation went pretty well, I started at Rams Gym and stayed form 11am to 12 noon. The gym itself is split into 3 section basically which include:

• weight section
• indoor track
• machine section (treadmills, etc)

The first I observed was that the weight side mainly consist of men, the track is about even (gender wise), while the machine side is mostly women. However there are both men and women on both sides (I am just speaking majority wise).

Observations:

• Everyone was wearing t-shirts, and athletic shorts/tights (except 1 guy who was wearing jeans?)
• Not many groups of people working out together (just a small handful of groups of 2)
• Many people who were alone were wearing earphones/headsets (ipod)
• Majority of the guys were pretty muscular, while the rest were around my size. (I did not see and really big/muscular people)
• Mostly young people However I did see one older male working out.
• The environment was nice along with the people, although it was not all that sociable with the exception of a few people helping out someone, either by spotting them as they lift or through giving tips/advice.

This is all of my observation for this day, I have a few assumptions/analysis but I will save those until I finish up all my observation for this project.

My Plan of Observation

My initial observation will begin on Thursday February 26, 2009. I will start my observation at the Rams Head Gym . It will most likely be in the morning since I have no classes then. Some of my strategies include:

• Focusing on the facts
• Not making assumptions until the end when I am analyzing all my observations
• I will be looking for aspects of the micro culture that are more prevalent (stand out)
• Observe what things seem to go against the majority
• Observe the atmosphere and personality of the people of the micro culture

New Hypothesis

As if today my hypothesis has changed. The reason being is that my last one could not be completed without me actually interacting with the people whom I am observing. So my newly improved hypothesis is:

Comparing the atmosphere of two gyms on campus known as Rams and Fetzer Gym. I will be observing how the people are; whether they come to work out alone or in groups, are they social, or loners (so to speak).

Weight Training

The micro culture I am interested in investigating is the culture of people who work out. By stating the phrase "work out" I do not just mean lifting weights or "pumping iron" as some may say, but I am interested in this micro culture as a whole. Meaning people who not just work out for building body mass, but also endurance training, and work out to tone-up their body a little more. Some of these work out may include: lifting weights, running on the treadmill or around the track, or doing ab work outs to tone the abdominal section of the body.

One may ask, "why am I interested in this so called micro culture?" My answer is this, people are always in search of perfection: the perfect hair, the perfect smile, or the perfect body. Because in our modern society were beauty is exemplified everywhere a person looks: whether it be on television, in magazines, or on billboards. It has become a modern norm in our society. People want to be beautiful, and there is nothing wrong with that. I, myself would not mind having a nice big chest, and washboard abs. However I believe that not everyone who works out simply does it to have the perfect body, some may do it because it helps them stay healthy which keeps them from contracting harmful illnesses such as obesity or other health issues that are becoming more prominent in America.

One can not help but notice the many people in the windows of Rams Gym lifting weight or running on treadmills. I plan on observing this micro culture of UNC by going to the gyms on campus, such as Rams and Fetzer Gym where there are people working out all the time, from early in the morning to late at night. Over the next couple of weeks I plan to go to these facilities and get a better view of what happen in these gyms. Who know may be after watching others work out,I myself might become inspired to to a little training myself to become healthier while at he same time aim for that so called "perfect body."