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What: The Many Forms
of Socializing
Socializing can be defined as mingling or associating with others. It takes
many forms and is influenced by a variety of things such as our age, gender,
and culture. This chapter will explore the many ways individuals socialize
as well as their implications. We ask (and answer) the questions: what is
socializing and what purpose does it serve?
HANGING OUT
Once thought of as happening only in physical spaces, such as shopping
malls, suburban parks, downtown streets, or coffeehouses, hanging out
now can also occur in electronic spaces like live-tweeting events, Google
Hangouts, or Facebook Live. While physical proximity used to be a basic
requirement for hanging out, technological advances have radically
changed this. We are no longer bound by where we live and those we live
around when it comes to hanging out. While during much of the 20th cen-
tury, hanging out in front of the television and watching a movie with a
group of friends meant that one was sharing a room—and often a sofa—
with those they were watching with, watching a movie with friends in
the second decade of the 21st century might well mean that one friend is
in Dubai, another in Denmark, and a third in Detroit, streaming the latest
Channing Tatum or Queen Latifah film through their computers at the
