Que bien traido lo del aburrimiento.
https://www.dn.se/kultur/hajpad-glass-eller-nytt-satt-att-umgas-darfor-vaxer-koerna-i-new-york/
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Hyped ice cream or a new way to socialize – that's why the queues are growing in New York
Published 12:09
At the entrance, the long line winds back and forth between the lines, like at airport security, and then continues around the corner. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
Queues have become a natural part of New York’s cityscape in recent years. The trend has been described as a “queue epidemic,” where social media creates cravings for a particular pizza or dessert. But the queue has also become a new place to socialize – and a backlash against the city’s stressful pace.
“We want to resist the idea that everything should be optimized and streamlined,” says 23-year-old Wynne Williams.
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The first time 19-year-old student Zoe Stevenson tried the famous pizza at L'Industrie Pizzeria in New York's West Village, she had to wait over 40 minutes. She was prepared for that. The restaurant chain, which also has locations in Williamsburg and Little Italy, has become immensely popular in recent years, and every day long lines form outside.
“There were a lot of people and I had high expectations. But they were definitely met,” says Zoe Stevenson, smiling.
I meet her next to the same queue on a Thursday in July, a few weeks after her premiere visit. It's just after two in the afternoon and the weather is unbearable. The heat that has settled over the city is oppressive, where the smoke from the fires in Canada makes the air absolutely sickening.
Despite this, New Yorkers and tourists alike are out on the streets, strolling, shopping and, like Zoe Stevenson, standing in line (or “on line” as New Yorkers say).
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“When it's something I enjoy, I have no problem waiting,” says student Zoe Stevenson. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
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Like us Swedes, New Yorkers seem to have embraced the idea of waiting their turn. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
– I wanted to bring my mother here who is visiting me from Tennessee, says Stevenson:
– And when it's something I like, I have no problem waiting.
She's not alone in that.
All around the Big Apple, people can now be seen standing in hours-long lines for everything, regardless of the day of the week or the time of day. New York has always been a city where people are willing to queue for exclusive experiences, such as a coveted table at a newly opened restaurant or the opportunity to get Broadway tickets. But today it is different: it is not just newly launched products or hyped premieres that attract customers.
Even ordinary places are booming: pizza joints, frozen yogurt stands, and bakeries. Two years ago, the lines at a bagel shop got so long, the newspapers reported , that the landlord threatened to evict them.
The New York Times has described the situation as a “queuing epidemic ,” with social media said to be the driving factor.
In the evening, people flock to buy ice cream after dinner. It's not uncommon for the wait to be up to 50 minutes. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
“I often plan my days off based on the recommendations I see on TikTok,” admits Zoe Stevenson. So I’m definitely contributing to this queue trend.
A few years ago, Andrev Walden wrote in DN (14/6 2020) about the Swedes' special queuing culture, where our tendency to sort ourselves in order of turn is often part of a larger image of the Swede as "a docile and two-dimensional creature".
Now, even people in New York have embraced the idea of waiting in line – a development that goes against my and many others’ image of the city’s residents as a busy and unimpressive people. What has happened?
Now, New Yorkers have also embraced the idea of waiting in line. It's a development that goes against my and many others' image of the city's residents as a busy and unimpressive people. What has happened?
– A common explanation for why we queue at a trendy place is that we are social creatures. If we see others doing something, we want to do it too, even if we actually dislike having to wait.
That's according to Magnus Söderlund, a professor of business administration at the Stockholm School of Economics. He has researched consumer behavior and believes that queuing in this case can be seen as a way of collecting "social points."
Magnus Söderlund is a professor of business administration at the Stockholm School of Economics and has researched consumer behavior. According to him, queuing in New York can be seen as a way to collect “social points.” Photo: Nicklas Gustafsson
– It can be about showing that you are aware of the trends, that you are part of an important information flow, he says:
– Then there is value in being able to recount your experience and share your opinion about the product or service.
When I talk to people queuing along the streets of New York, almost all of them tell me that they are standing there precisely to determine whether the hype on social media is justified. Or because they are afraid of missing out. In other words: Fomo (fear of missing out).
– In psychology, it is believed that perceived losses weigh more heavily than gains. Here, the “pain” of missing out on an experience can therefore be greater than the gain of not having to queue, says Magnus Söderlund.
At the same time, I am told by several people who live here that the queues are also a result of the city's conditions. Rents for spacious premises are outrageously high and many popular businesses have very limited space – with few or no seating at all.
The result is that visitors are forced out onto the sidewalk.
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In New York, there are often signs urging people to line up. Here, outside a popular photo booth in Manhattan. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
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On social media, queuing is dismissed as “herding behavior” that is ruining New York’s walking paths. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
Morgan Griffin, 36, has been a New Yorker for ten years and a self-proclaimed “gender avoider.” She is skeptical of the whole development, which she believes contributes to equality:
– It feels like the algorithms make everyone think and feel the same way these days, which is a shame in a city where there is so much to experience, she says.
– It is also obvious that several of these stores are not designed to accommodate so many customers. They probably have not chosen to become part of this absurd “Tiktok hype” either, she says.
Her opinion is shared by many. On social media, queuing is dismissed as “herding behavior” that ruins New York’s sidewalks. And as I walk around the city, I hear passersby laughing and shouting obscenities—“idiots!”—at those queuing.
Morgan Griffin, 36, describes herself as a “queue avoider” and dislikes the city’s evolving queue culture. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
In short, queue culture creates division. To better understand, I decide to join the queue myself. I head to Caffè Panna, a Manhattan ice cream parlor that has gone viral on TikTok and that, according to the platform’s users, has “the best gelato in the world.”
Once there, the crowd is larger than I could have imagined. Around seventy people are already in line, winding back and forth in front of the entrance and further around the corner of the building. With every passing minute, even more people join.
I hurry in behind two young women standing at the back, hoping to buy an ice cream before closing. They say they ended up here by chance.
“We were walking around the area looking for dessert, and we happened to end up here,” says New York-born Jo Strogatz, 24.
With her is her childhood friend Wynne Williams, 23, who is also from New York but now lives in Philadelphia.
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Childhood friends Wynne Williams (left) and Jo Strogatz (right) usually avoid queues, but joined the queue at Caffè Panna by chance and to get to a “slower pace”. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
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Sign with instructions for maintaining a good atmosphere in the local area and with neighbors. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
They say that they usually shy away from waiting in line, but that they haven't seen each other in more than six months and thought they might as well update each other on life while they wait.
– In addition, we try to resist the idea that everything should always be optimized and streamlined, says Wynne Williams:
– We practice taking it easy and being patient.
While we're standing there, I notice that several people seem to have a similar attitude. Here, families and friends are socializing – behind us, a date is going on. According to Magnus Söderlund, the sex can function as a makeshift social scene where new, exciting encounters can arise. And perhaps there's something to this, that the sex acts as a kind of third room.
– It's a bit like when you're at a concert and everyone is looking forward to the same thing. And where the queue becomes part of the evening's experience, says Jo Strogatz.
The viral ice cream from Caffè Panna turns out to be a real disappointment. Photo: Rakel Clinton Lucas
Finally it's my turn to order, and I say goodbye to my cheerful queue mates. When I take my first scoop of the peanut-flavored ice cream, it turns out to be a huge disappointment – way too sweet and gooey.
Whether the city's queue culture has reached its peak or will continue to spread remains to be seen. But after waiting for 35 minutes, and now with a bad taste in my mouth, I feel pretty done with standing in line in New York.
