In large urban areas, people know how to establish private zones of solitude even in crowds. erving goffman analyzes this as an instance of socialization called

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.