Erving Goffman is well known for his "front stage" and "back stage" which are different methods of behavior which we engage in on a day to day basis. "Back stage," in particular, focuses on the way people act when alone or in a space where they feel that they can relax. Civil inattention is a term used by Goffman to signify the way people who are near each other in a crowd can still maintain their privacy by not engaging with strangers.
