The Practices of Forming Interpersonal and Generalized Trust in the Process of Joint Leisure Activities Using the Example of Moscow Night Club Mutabor

Modern Russian society is characterized by a low level of generalized trust. Generalized trust in turn is considered an important factor in socio-economic well-being. Studying trust, researchers highlight its emergence in the process of joint leisure activity. In developed countries, there is a variety of cultural and leisure institutions, one of them is the nighttime leisure associations: night clubs, bars, etc. Despite the fact that such places are often associated with practices of deviant behavior, many European cities institutionalize a nighttime leisure activity due to awareness of its functional role. At the same time, in the capital of Russia, night clubs only continue to close. Following the actualization of attention to nightlife, this paper examines the issue of trust shaping in the process of joint leisure in the popular Moscow nightclub Mutabor, showing possible positive externalities of the developed nightlife. The variety of trust dimensions still generate a discussion about what kind of trust is forming in the process of joint leisure. Present research works with two types of trust: interpersonal and generalized, trying to understand what type of trust arises in the process of joint leisure activity. Moreover, the phenomenon of trust is highly difficult for empirical investigation, there is a range of problems that complicate the task of the researcher. This paper integrates the sociological and institutional perspectives at the theoretical and methodological level, using the method of indirect study of trust to solve arising problems. Based on 14 semi-formalized interviews with visitors to the Moscow night club Mutabor, practices of interpersonal and generalized trust forming through joint leisure in a nightclub are revealed. Situational practices of direct face-to-face interaction are able to build interpersonal trust between club visitors. In turn, the practices of communication and behavior of club visitors, which create a sense of community, are able to form the generalized trust, solving the problem of collective action within the considered club. However, the revealed displays of generalized trust occur only in relation to the audience of the club and do not go beyond, extending to all people in general. This type of trust indicates another form of trust: trust to a certain group, with which the individual feels the connection. At the same time, the active visitors of the night club grab into their daily lives a predisposition and openness in communication. It can be assumed that this leads to an increase in social capital in society since it increases the number of social ties, which demonstrates the positive role of joint leisure, considered in the present research on the example of leisure in a nightclub.