Social Structure and the Subway

By Sally Raskoff

One of the hallmarks of sociological thinking is to recognize the existence and impact of structure. That society has structure is an elusive concept to many!

The ways that society is structured guides our behavior. It allows us to create and maintain order, to conform to norms, to signal innovation and change, and, inversely, to highlight when deviations from those norms and structures take place.

Consider public rapid transit – a subway station. While these may not exist in rural areas, they are quite common in urban and even suburban areas. (Yes, we do have them even in Los Angeles!) Train or bus stations in rural areas may have similar features.

Within the subway station, structures guide us to enter, pay our fees (if we don’t already have a pass), find our way to the trains, and exit the station once at our destination. Some of the structures that guide us through this path are physical and obvious, others less so.

The following photo essay includes images from the Los Angeles metro – important to know since this is a city with a relatively new system and with many people who don’t know how to navigate it. Whether this affects the way that the stations are structured, well, you can be the judge of that.

Starting as we walk into the station, you travel down a large staircase or escalator and find yourself channeled into the space, heading in one direction. Notice in the photograph the markings on the floor. They (and the walls) clearly tell you to walk in one direction – as those in the photo are doing. At the far end of the walkway, there is a more complex floor pattern and in that area one can go in multiple directions.

Once inside the station, the ticket buying area is well lit and gets your attention even if you already have a pass.

Seen from the other direction (from past the card readers – the metal stands), the area is populated and illuminated. Note the floor patterns here as well. The photos above and below are in different stations but both patterns signify activity or detail near the ticket machines and maps. If no people are present, the location of the machines is signaled by the cacophony or direction of patterns on the floor.

Once inside, there is usually waiting to do. Eating and drinking are prohibited, so if you have to wait for your train there is not much to keep you entertained. In LA’s stations, each stop is decorated differently using public art that pertains to the history and economy of that area. Tiled art and creative benches are included in each station.

The art keeps people from focusing on each other. In such a stuffy and somewhat dark enclosed area, it seems important not to encourage people to look or interact with others. The subway is a unique social space where people of different backgrounds and social classes find themselves—perhaps for the only time that day-- in the same, small space. Also, most people who ride the subways or buses have come across a person whose mental state was altered and may be afraid of encountering people like that again. The art and signs serve to help people feel safe in subway stations and offer diversions from potentially uncomfortable encounters.

The hardest part of getting to know a subway station is knowing which side of the platform you need to be on to going in your intended direction. While the signposts are there, they are not always readily apparent.

This next photo shows a hopeful scene – the train is approaching. Its direction is noted at the top of the image, next to the exit sign. Many people come down those stairs and look around multiple times to find which train they want – few actually look up! Once they do, typically after searching the wall alongside the train’s path, they relax and go to the correct side.

If you gaze down to the floor on the platform, it is much plainer than upstairs. Yet I noticed this yellow patch (below).

What might this yellow patch be? Most don’t notice it. People congregate all along the pathway, often ignoring these patches. They have raised bumps thus one might surmise that they have an important function.

Note that there are a few of them, spaced apart but not in sequential or even intervals.

Once the next train came, I noticed their most important function!

These yellow patches highlight where some of the trains’ doors will stop! Not all doors, but at least one per train car. The people who know this, gather around those patches while those unaccustomed to these subtle structural guides may have to run towards a door in fear of having the doors shut before they reach them.

Once on the train, the seating shows you clearly that the train may run one way or the other as the seats face both directions.

There are rails everywhere to hold onto in case one is standing or getting while the train is in motion. What might be another function of those rails?

In the photo below, there is a vertical rail in the middle of the floor in front of the doors.

Do the rails adequately and effectively mark the personal space of the train riders?

Some of the problems that trains have is that of pickpockets and frotteurists (people who rub up against or bump into people for purposes of sexual gratification). Do these rails assist in protecting people against such practices?

The concepts of manifest and latent functions can be helpful here. While the intent and design of the rails are for stability during the ride (manifest or intended functions), the latent (or unintended) function is that they actually may encourage close physical proximity, which may explain why pickpockets and frotteurists find trains so inviting.

Take a good look at the previous photo and the next two photos of the train car.

What other subtle (or not so subtle) structures guide our behavior?

Notice the posters on the front of the seating area and on the walls.

These Metro posters include the messages:

“Safety begins with you” The image is a hand holding onto the rail.

“We’re watching. Are you?” The image is a shoulder patch of the LA County Sheriff.

“Which one is working undercover?” The image is of train riders in their seats, three men and a woman.

“Better safe than sorry” The image is of a purse under a seat

“Planee su viaje en cualquier momento” which translates to “Plan your trip at any time” The image is of the Metro Trip Planner.

The majority of messages are about safety and point out that one is not alone in that train. There are cameras installed in every car but these posters remind you that there is not just passive security through surveillance, there may be undercover officers and that everyone should be vigilant.

Interestingly, the one message in Spanish is not about safety, but about the convenience of the website trip planning feature.

What would be the effect of the safety posters for riders who speak only Spanish?

Some criminological theories state that people are more apt to commit crimes of opportunity – crimes that they would not be caught doing. Do these posters inhibit such crimes?

Once you leave your train and head out of the station, the same structures guide you out.

People head for the lighted ticket area and up the stairs and escalators that brought them underground.

As one heads up those stairs, the world beckons with its more diffuse and diverse signals of where to go and what to do. Our behavior becomes much less controlled and guided outside the metro station. Do people feel different once they emerge into that space? What other examples of spaces reflecting social structure can you think of?

Comments

[Hannah]

I am studying social structure in my sociology class and thought this was a great article. I think it is great that there is art all around the station to distract people from each other. The messages the signs give are also very helpful. People's behavior is very much controlled in the subway station I believe.

[genderkid]

Great post!

This line brought it all together for me: "Our behavior becomes much less controlled and guided outside the metro station. Do people feel different once they emerge into that space?" I do feel more free when I get out of the subway, and it hadn't occurred to me that structure had something to do with that.

PS: The ridged yellow patches are also guidelines for blind and visually-impaired people, who can feel them with their canes.

[Paul]

Great thought!
It is easy to think of all the areas we have more social structure than others. Schools are very structured compared to life at home. Schools are another interesting social structure, because they have all these guidlines and manifest and latent functions for both students and faculty. Although it is odd that many people at schools feel less willing to follow their guidlines than are people at a subway.

[Anders]

The mall. I couldn't help but think of a mall. The mall, a mall, any mall!

In specific I'm thinking of the Mall of America ( http://www4.worldisround.com/photos/1/318/84.jpg ).

Its entryways are designed in a way that will lead you comfortably into the mall, yet guide you in circles once inside. The bathrooms are usually not well marked, and maybe intentionally, not well places. Which means (inevitably) more window shopping and exposure. Interestingly enough, they do have bathrooms and lockers at a few entryways, with the manifest function of framing the situation. The mall seems to say "Look here, this is an adventure, and a long one. Better use the restrooms!"

I may be making leaps here, but I'll really just have to go back and visit the mall. It's too bad that I can barely stand the place!

[Pallavi]

Museums and art galleries provide a structure. One automatically speaks in hushed tones, as if a louder sound may riochet off the exhibits and cause a minor explosion. One is encouraged to walk, too, softly.

I enjoyed this article of yours and thank you for the trail of thought this has started for me.

[Donna]

I believe structure is necessary in our society, and without it there would be chaos. The library is a good place for structure, a place where people go to study or research with minimal noise and distraction. In our society, we are taught at a young age that you must be very quiet in the library. Because the library is so quiet, the slightest sound seems to echo. As far as the subway is concerned, I have only ridden once, and I have to say that if there were no direction I would have been totally lost. To me there is a sense of freedom when you emerge from underground. It's as if you were in a different place, and now you have light and fresh air.

[Ariel S.]

I think that this is a very interesting article. I have never noticed such detail in public areas that are designed for social structure before. You can tell that a lot of observing and work was put into this research. I find the posters through out the subway to be very interesting as well. People usually never notice the subtle warnings about their behavior. I also think that the fact that people just go along with signs, the crowd and lines on the floor unconsciously or because everyone is doing it is an interesting study. I think that a mall is a good example of a space with social structure or an airport. From now on I am going to try to be more aware of these things.

[Leanna Crossan]

Interesting article, I don't usually put that much thought in to the Subway. I've only been able to ride in the New York subway a few times, but I can strongly remember emerging from underground and feeling like I could breath easier, because I felt "freer." I wasn't cramped underground, with only artificial lights and bright paints to show me where to or not to step, or where to or not to go. So judging from my experience I would say that many people might feel the same way that I did.

Another example of a space reflecting social structure would be some place like theme park. If you have ever been to a Disney theme park you see they use rope, or chains to form a path to keep people on, so there is no line cutting. Also at Theme parks they use bright paint, or mats to show you where the doors open for the ride, similar to the yellow pad to show where the doors open to the train.

[kristina]

I found this article very interesting. I find it very interesting that they put art all around to distract you from other people but also to show you what direction to go in the train station. We are learning about social structure in my sociology class and this article made me understand it better. Social structure gives our sociecty structure and this subway article just shows how structured our societies really are.

[Liz Oehler]

It's so odd to think that there really is so much going on all the time. our minds see everything as normal and unless we stop to pull everything apart its all kind of a blur. I loved this article each picture that i would have otherwise glanced at, brought me thoughts.

[Brianna Brentar]

I am firm believer in that if we didnt have rules and laws we had to follow our social structure would fall apart.

[Vanessa Valla]

I thought this article was great. It shows how we do conform to normal behaivor and I believe the subway was a great presentation of that. I love how in the beginning they guide you on the floor where to go. I love the way you added a bunch of pictures instead of just writing about the examples.

[Hannah Mcleod]

This, I thought, was a very iteresting artical. Some of the things stated seem a bit odd but I suppose the Los Angeles subway and the passengers are quit differnt from what I am used to. I would like to see a similar artical about the New York subway or another much older system. I never noticed the patern in the floors pionting to things. When I was in Sao pualo on the metro, this wierd incounter took place frequently, where someone would go through and shout something out, place small products on peoples laps with out looking at them them come back around to pick them back up or collect money along with packets of gum from the passengers.

[Jessica]

It is interesting how symbols help people, even subconsciously. They make people feel comfortable and not so intimidated by new areas. This comfortably may even help create less crime! Thank you for this post.

[Lauren Choi]

It's interesting to me that the subway of all places is such a big part of people's everyday lives and that social structure is seen everywhere, even on the subway! Like the commentor above, I also thought of the mall and also the airport, where there are signs everywhere to direct people.