dude

From today until Wednesday pay special attention to people around you using the word dude. It can also be a situation where you are using it with friends and your friends are using it when addressing you. Write down those conversations; short dialogues and the context in which the word was used. Who was using the word (note the gender, age, social status such as student, for example) and what was the gender, age, social status of the person they were addressing... In what ways was the word dude being used? Was it used to create camaraderie or distance, disgust, friendship, masculinity (for women as well) or something else entirely? 

It is also important data, if you do not overhear people using the word dude very much. In that case, pay special attention, if there is another word used instead of dude. If yes, do you think that substitute word has the same, similar, or entirely different function than the word dude? Describe what that function might be?