Everyday Sociology Blog

The Sociology of the Con

By Jonathan Wynn Now that I’m chair of my department, my colleagues and graduate students occasionally get emails from email addresses that look very close to mine (e.g., “jonwynn@umassbutnotreally.com”) that asks them to “help” me. If the

Careers and Side Hustles in Creative Work

By Jonathan Wynn In an article titled “Institutional Office and the Person” one of the great mid-century sociologists, Everett C. Hughes, wrote that a career is “the moving perspective in which the person sees his life as a whole and inter

Shopping and Crowds

By Jonathan Wynn I like crowds. I remember feeling emotionally overcome as part of the group when I was in the front row at a Radiohead concert in Madison Square Garden or at the greatest comeback in NFL history. Being caught up in the

The Sociology of Pranks

By Jonathan Wynn For the last five years I’ve received many calls about pranks. I’m not a prank expert, but I did write an article about tricks tour guides use to tell historical stories. That perked up the ears of a New York Times journ

Six Benches: Public Space and College Town Life

By Jonathan Wynn Urbanist William H. Whyte once wrote, "It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished." But, what happens when a place attracts the "wrong

Notetaking and the Digital Divide

By Jonathan Wynn I always see a handful of laptops staring back at me in class. I am, perhaps, more surprised that I still see students handwriting notes at all. When I ask why they still handwrite notes, those who can afford a lapt

The Dead White Guys of Theory?

By Jonathan Wynn When teaching sociology—particularly theory—we'll often hear about how most of the classic readings we assign are written by "dead white guys." And when you look through the canon it is, indeed, very pale and very male. F

Ten Sociological Metaphors and Paradoxes

By Jonathan Wynn A few years ago, as a graduate student I was talking with an older sociologist who was cranky about how qualitative research was "too cute" in its lyrical presentation of data. I asked further about what that meant to her

Masculinity So Fragile

By Jonathan Wynn Recently Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, 17, became the face of the upcoming Louis Vuitton women's wear campaign. In the ads Jaden wears a black skirt and a fringed mesh top (you can see the photo here). This has sparked a