This fieldwork took place outside the University of Wisconsin-Madison College library. It is regarded as a smoking and recreational area with garbage bins located surrounding the library entrance. Smokers take the garbage bins as ashtrays to discard their cigarette butts. Most people who smoke there are those who take breaks while studying at college library.
It is noticeable that at times, smokers who are friends or maybe strangers will “unite” with two to seven people to smoke. This field study was taken between February 24th 2010 to March 24th with a couple of visits during typical weekdays and especially Sunday evenings.I interviewed and closely observed six participants; three were my Asian friends and three Americans students who described themselves as a “heavy smoker. ” I conducted my interviews mostly during their smoking break, and many times I joined their smoking groups to watch them smoke and chat.
It was an interesting experience to listen to the participants’ smoking stories. I found that for many of them, smoking plays an important part in the construction of who they are and many respondents integrate smoking as a way to affirm and express their self-image.As indicated by the following typical comments of my respondents: “Smoking makes me special and different from the crowd. ” “Smoking makes me cool. ” (Josh, Lizheng, Andrew).
I can always feel a subtle message behind the reasons male respondents give for smoking - smoking projects a positive image of them as a tough guy and smoking makes them special. Female respondents also value smoking as a reflective construction about their image. Xiaoqian (from China Sichuan Province), indicates that smoking gives her a “hard” image.After our in-depth discussion, an interpretation for her particular “hard and strong” image is that she is trying to compete with males by doing everything they do.
Her ideology may result from a deep-rooted conviction in Chinese culture that females have to match males and to compete on their own terms. “Why not? Cigarettes are not only sold to boys,” she said. In addition, another finding emerged from my data is that female smokers emphasize the visual dimension of smoking behavior; it has to do more with the “impression” and “appearance” of smoking.One of the respondents, Briana, said: “I love Virginia Slims because my favorite film star takes that brand.
” In this case, she assumes that if she chooses that brand just like her idol does, she identifies herself with a more glamorous, mature, sexy self-image. In other words, she is using this visual of smoking to make her identity statements. This assumption has been further proved when I asked female respondents, “How does the taste and level of tar of cigarette influence your brand choice? ” Two out of three female respondents deny the importance (Xiaoqian, Ann). (laugh) No girl really cares about taste,” they responded. It took me a lot of time to analyze whether there is a relationship between personal identity and brand choice.
Although my data doesn’t indicate rationality behind why the brand choice is related to the creation of self-image of smokers, it confirms that “my own brand" has a special significance to respondents as if it was a part of their personality and credo. For example, many international students bring cigarettes from their hometown to Madison, “I only smoke Huang He Lou (a popular brand in Wuhan , China), because I am a Wuhanese. (Lizhe) “Saat (a local cigarette brand in Malaysia) is part of my life, I cannot live without it. ” (Anonymous smoker)The role of smoking also ties to the notion of self-determination; smoking affirms individuality because it provides people the sense of control over themselves.
They could afford the risks and dangers which others couldn’t. Josh claims that whatever others say about how dangerous smoking is, he just ignores their statements because he believes, “It is my own body and health, I should take control of it. I assume here that smoking is a conscious decision for them, by confronting their risk-taking behavior, they prove that the self has special quality comparing to those who can’t hack it. It is worth studying that smoking has different symbolic significance in terms of what it portrays to the respondents.Many of those symbols are positive words that smokers use to affirm and justify their smoking choice and rationalize their smoking behavior.
Josh refers to smoking as a reward for him: “I deserve some fun when I finish the last page of my paper. Ann remarked that smoking is like being with a friend: “I smoked a lot cause I feel extremely quiet when study in college library. I feel the cigarette is with me, like a friend. ” Interestingly, smoking is also symbolized as a “screen” that helps smoker to shut out distractions. Lizhe rationalized the large amount of cigarettes he consumes when final exams are coming: “I smoke a lot because smoking creates me a screen, a magic space. When I have a cigarette on hand, I got the answer! ” The most valuable experience I got from fieldwork was that I caught the subtle relationships nd feelings shared amongst smokers.
It is identified by the use of shared behavior, norms, non-verbal cues during smoking. For example, there’s a subtle consensus that when the last member in a smoking group is finished with his /her cigarettes, the other group members will take it as a non-verbal cue to get back to the college library and do what they were doing prior to smoking. On the other hand, if one of the smokers demands a longer break or talk, she/he will hold the pack of cigarettes to others and ask if anyone wants to smoker another.Another principle is that it is polite to always offer your surrounding people cigarettes even if he/she is a stranger. I have a profound understanding for this, because I was offered with a cigarette many times when I stood with those smoking group when someone saw me with no cigarette in hand. Josh also showed to me how to cup your hands around the flame when someone is lighting your cigarette.
Because of the sharing culture among their smoking friends, it will be very rude to stick your head out and have them try to light it for you without your assistance.Another fact, “Jie Yan”, translated into “ cigarette Karma (USA)” means giving a cigarette to a smoker that does not have any cigarettes, and thereby justify asking someone else for a cigarette when you are out of cigarettes. I interpret “Jie yan” as an exchange between the giver and receiver of the cigarettes and this is how this exchange works: if I offer you a cigarette, it means you owe me ten minutes of conversation and company in exchange of a cigarette. I also assume that factors relating to social contexts contribute to respondents’ smoking behavior.
Smoking can be a social tool that facilitates personal and social networks. Ann told me, “I am usually afraid of talking to a person I have just met, so offering them a cigarette can be an ice-breaker to start a conversation. ” According to Xiaoqian, “I love smoking outside college library because I can meet lots of my smoking friends and this helps me to keep up with gossip and confidential of what’s going on in school and between our mutual friends. ” The social and functional aspects of smoking help me explain why people form smoking groups and smoke together.
They are seeking emotional support and perhaps the closeness generated from an emotionally supportive tie (smoking group) reinforces social bonding between them. As a result, giving up smoking can mean big changes to many respondents I interviewed, especially in their social life. However, the social perspective of smoking may not always be positive. Josh told me he started smoking in high school because he was pressured to trying it out in order to fit-in the crowd. Lizhe also told me the same phenomena in Chinese high school where boys who don’t smoke are insulted because only those who smoke are regarded as a “real man”.All those peer pressures that contribute to the initiation of smoking may provide us some insights about the negative side in the social context of smoking.
In conclusion, I believe for those people I have studied, smoking has the value in reflective shaping of their self-image. Smoking, to some extent, signifies to those people who they are, what kind of motive they have, what group they belong to, why they have particular choice, and why they behave in certain ways. Smoking occurs in social context as well.According to my research, smokers are not only chemical dependent, but also have dependency on the social aspect and function of smoking. Another theme is that those mini smoking groups make up a subculture within this defined field site. There are common behaviors, norms, and subtle non-verbal cues shared among them.
However, some of my conclusions above are assumptions and subject to my own perspectives. In addition, many participants usually have the problem of expressing their ideas (feelings that I couldn’t tell) and many subtle insight behind their behaviors.I also have difficulty to interpret the real meaning of some fieldwork notes due to my knowledge constrain. In spite of the validity of my conclusion, as a non-smoker, I have developed greater understanding, tolerance, and respect for those smokers after my fieldwork study. And I believe the understanding of smokers’ ideology is a crucial step to help them quit smoking. Nevertheless, I hope next time you notice a person smoking or a group of smokers huddle near an ashtray, you can take a minute to ponder some of the points raised in this article.
