I'll just bullet point my answers just to help you out:
- I learned the rules of chess as a child, but it was just one of many board games and I hardly ever played chess. It wasn't until early college that I "remembered" chess and wanted to see how good I could actually be at it. It was more of a challenge to myself and a hobby than anything else. However, I would be remiss to not mention that a friend of mine was a chess player and I REALLY wanted to win at least one game against them. I barely knew the rules of chess and didn't even know ratings existed at that time. It wasn't until years later I found out my friend was over 1600 in chess rating.
Wanting to win at least once against them was a big motivator for my early improvement, but after several years of hard work, I finally won against them! 
- I am part of a local chess club, but I don't think it impacts how I view the game of chess much. It was really more of necessity that I wanted to interact with other chess players in-person and play against tougher competition and finding a local chess club was simply my way of getting that. Joining a local chess club is more like one of many resources to improve, but I wouldn't say it impacts how I view chess overall.
- I enjoy chess. Parts of it is a job for me (I used to be the "Head Chess Writer" at another site years ago and I'm currently one of the moderators for chess.com) https://www.chess.com/blog/KeSetoKaiba/i-am-a-chess-com-mod-now as well as a chess YouTuber as of fairly recently: https://www.youtube.com/@kesetokaiba/videos
Overall though, chess is a hobby and I do enjoy it. If I didn't love chess, then I wouldn't have stuck with it over the years.
- I started playing chess more competitively the exact day I created my chess.com account. This was roughly 6 years ago. I have been playing in over-the-board (OTB) chess tournaments (USCF) for roughly 3 years now.
- No, I don't think there is much of a correlation to chess impacting my non-chess interactions. Chess is simply one of many hobbies and if someone isn't into chess, then we simply discuss other topics.
- When not playing chess, I wouldn't say chess "impacts me" too much, but it certainly does have some influence - especially when I was first learning chess. Back then, it was like the Tetris Effect where I'd start seeing chess things everywhere. It was in a harmless way though. I'd comment how that checkered tablecloth reminded me of a chess board, or smiled when I'd see people walking over tiled flooring which resembled pawns marching in a straight line over the board. The Tetris Effect happens when you invest a lot of mental energy into any one thing, but it wears off over time as the activity loses its novelty element.
Perhaps another small way chess "impacts me" outside of chess is that I've applied chess concepts and strategies to other similar, strategy games. Chess has helped me become a better thinker in certain ways.
Other than these small examples though, I don't believe chess really impacts non-chess life too much at all though.
- What "merits" do I think a person needs to become "good" at chess? This would depend on what one means by "good" at chess. Do we mean statistically above the global average, or do we mean someone "good" enough to win local tournaments consistently, or perhaps even more challenging: what it takes to get an official chess title? I'd say being "good" at chess is a lot less "being smart" and more about pattern recognition and practice than most people think. In fact, there is a writers trope regarding this fallacy: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SmartPeoplePlayChess
Some good "merits" to become good at chess are: pattern recognition, determination, patience, creativity and a genuine passion for the game of chess.
Other merits help too, but I don't think intelligence is one of them.
- Yes. Any "serious" chess player who claims otherwise is probably lying, or isn't "serious" enough about chess yet. Chess takes a ton of mental and emotional energy to compete in and it can become extremely competitive. It is natural for people to have the thought of quitting the game lingering somewhere in the back of their mind. However, this is why I mentioned "a genuine passion for the game of chess" under "merits" which help one be better at chess. You'll need this passion to give you motivation when times get challenging. Despite even myself thinking about quitting chess before, I was never super serious about quitting because I love the game of chess too much and the game can also be immensely rewarding too, so it isn't just about the struggles.
- What makes me want to continue playing chess is my love for the game and my desire to keep learning and keep improving. This is one way to challenge myself and the more I learn, then the more I understand about the game of chess and in-turn, this helps me appreciate the game on an even deeper level. This is one irony about chess, the more you learn (and higher rated you become), then the more you realize you never knew.
- Yes, I'm happy with my rating right now, but I'm also hoping for even better and more improvement. I don't play chess for the numbers, I play chess for the learning and understanding. My current chess.com rating is over 2000 (2041 at the time of this writing) and my USCF rating is currently about 1850 (Class A).
- I am happy with my rating now, but "ideal" always seems to be a little higher than I am now. This is the danger for those who chase rating more than the love for the game. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and if you are 1000, you would like to be 1100. If you are 1100, then 1200 seems cool. If you are 1200, then 1300 would be nice and so on. It is okay to keep challenging yourself and keep making goals towards the next step, but it is also important to be satisfied with progress and appreciate how much you've learned already and how far you've come. In my case, being over 2000 online, it would be nice for me to increase my USCF rating to over 2000 (perhaps in a year or two) as this would give me the informal title of "Expert." Once there, I may even pursue 2200+ USCF rating which would make me a National Master (NM). I have no dreams of becoming a titled player, but I'd probably find this title most realistic for myself if I ever do get a title because NM is the only formal chess title which doesn't require norms to reach.
Hope my responses help you @karolbags
Hey guys! I'm writing an ethnography for my English class and I was wondering if I could get some people to share their "chess experiences" with me so that I could get a better grasp of how the online community is. I'll leave a few questions if you'd like to answer those. I really appreciate it!
Questions:
How did you get into chess?
How does being in a club affect how you play/view/interact with the game?
Do you enjoy it, or is it more of a job?
What do you enjoy about it?
When did you start playing?
How do you think chess affects your interactions with people outside of chess, if there is any correlation?
Does partaking in chess affect you outside of playing and studying chess in any way? Like, outside of playing chess, does it affect you?
What merits do you think a person needs to become good at chess?
Have you ever felt like quitting chess?
What makes you want to continue playing?
Are you happy with your rating right now?
What would be an ideal rating for you to achieve (if you’re not happy with where you’re at)