Image by Marco Verch
Sociologist Erving Hoffman defined civil inattention as the various ways individuals physically within a close area internally distance themselves from those around them, while acknowledging their presence, by not involving through conversation or interactions. If you would like to learn more about this concept, read about Hoffman’s definition here, or watch this brief video.
As many of my interactions with others happen online, I realized I also practice a great deal of civil inattention not only in real life with those physically near me, but over the internet as well. More often than not, I find myself scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, acknowledging the presence of those “friends” or “followers,” yet I do not actually interact with them. I don’t even pay attention to who is posting or what they posted. Once in awhile, a piece of content will catch my eye, but rarely will I engage by commenting or sharing the content. If I do engage, it will be through a small gesture of hitting “like” or “love”.
-Hannah Leigh Johnson
Hey Hannah I feel the same way. I realized I also practice a great deal of civil inattention online a lot. I am constantly online on platforms like twitter, facebook and instagram and I scroll through until I find something I like. I not only like it or retweet it but I always comment back or reply until I start a conversation. I am always engaging with people online! Great post thanks for sharing!
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