Sociology Exam 2

Cultural relativism

taking into account the differences across cultures without passing judgement or assigning value 

-But this is hard to when dealing with female genital mutilation, domestic violence, medical practices vs religious beliefs in treating the critically ill etc.. 

Subcultures

distinct cultural values or behavior patterns of a particular group in society; a group united by sets of concepts, values, symbols, and shared meaning specific to the members of that group and distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society. Ex.There are different subcultures of goth (US, UK, etc) 

Media

any formats, platforms, or vehicles that carry, present, or communicate info 

←influences how we understand stats

←if it bleeds it lead

Social statistics in the Media

Stats are often misunderstood and/or misrepresented in the media on purpose

-somtimes ppl cherry pick numbers to be misleading

-sometimes numbers are misleading bc ppl don’t understand them

Using rates is the best way to represent stats correctly, Media often emphasizes dramatic stories (if it bleeds it leads)

Hegemony

a condition by which a dominant group uses its power (moral and intellectual) to elicit “voluntary” consent of the masses

_←-Different from domination: getting ppl to do what you want through force, INSTEAD Hegemony is is getting ppl to go along with the status qou bc it seems like the best course or natural order of things 

Media & Hegemony

• Important for understanding the impact of media on culture and for examining how people and societies shape and are shaped by culture àmedia instills hegemonic principles  

<-media allows one to exert soft power/great tool for hegemony through messaging 

<-Get ppl to want to do the things you want them to do and make them feel like it was their own choice (through coercion) 

Media studies open paths of investigation

• Textual analysis (news articles/reports, advertisements) & audience studies (audiences of dif news sources etc)

• How ppl create media and the biases envolveed in ts creation (ex.how print advertisment suggests who should buy which products)

• How media reflects the culture in which it exists

• How individuals and groups use the media for change (ex.During Civil Rights movement, they didn’t have the media we currently have)

Socialization

the process by which individuals internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of a given society and learn to function as a member of that society

Media Effects

*Media effects can be placed into 4 categories according to their duration (how long something sticks w us once we consume it) and intention (does the message being conveyed have intent behind it 

Long-Term Intentional: ex.-something that changes the patterns of what you eat (Fed Up)

Short-Term Intentional-ex.getting french fries cuz of an ad (mcdonalds)

Long-Term Unintentional

Short-Term Unintentional

Consumerism 

the way media promotes buying and selling as a central part of life

• Ads, product placement, and influencer marketing encourage people to see consumption as tied to identity, happiness, and success.

• Media industries depend heavily on advertising revenue, which can shape the kind of content that gets produced.

Media Ownership

• Media ownership in the United States is in the hands of 6 companies! 

• Those companies affect the information and messages communicated to the public 

• The media, especially advertising, play a large role iin the maintenance of consumerism (the belief that happiness and fulfillment can be achieved through acquisition of material possessions) 

Culture jamming

turning the media against itself (an example of subverting the power of the media)

activism or resistance against consumer culture and corporate media

• It “jams” mainstream messages by subverting or parodying ads, logos, or media messages to expose their underlying values.

• Goal: make people think critically about media, advertising, and consumerism.

Ex.McDiabetes billboards against buying McDonalds and fast food, altering M to look like clog artery, critquing fast food insudtries roll in obesity and health problems

Limits of Socialization

-it cannot explain everything about a person’s development and personality

←AS a combo of biology and social interactions make us who we are

Socialization Examples

Some socialization is explicitly taught,

Some is observed and absorbed

Ex.

• Parents teaching children to say “please” and “thank you.”

• Learning to raise your hand before speaking in class.

• Picking up slang or fashion trends from friends.

• Adapting to workplace norms like punctuality or email etiquette.

• Observing how adults interact and imitating their manners.

Mead’s 4 levels of expanding awareness of others

• Me: Self-focused (infant’s immediate needs).

• Significant Other: Awareness of important caregivers/family.

• Reference Group: Awareness of peers similar to oneself (e.g., other kids).

• Generalized Other: Awareness of society and groups unlike oneself; understanding societal expectations.

Mead’s Theory of Development Through 3 STAGES

1. Preparatory Stage

2. Play Stage (3 to 6, going to pre-k or kindergarten)

3. Game Stage (ages 6 up)

Preparatory Stage

1. Preparatory Stage (kids under 3, toddles and younger) 

• Children mimic and imitate behavior of adults (they like to dress up, pretend to be a doctor etc..) 

• There’s no/little meaning attached to the behavior 

• This activity helps the children prepare for role-taking (their role in society as a student for example) 

ßKids playing by themselves 

Ex. If you put on Karate movie, they’ll probably karate chop you after then forget about it , it’s not bc they are being violent just bc they are imitating behvaior 

Play Stage

2. Play Stage (3 to 6, going to pre-k or kindergarten) 

• Children begin to take the role of the “other” 

• Children play at being others, at taking on the roles others have 

• Children develop the ability of understand what’s on the minds of others, as well as to take account in their own mind 

• Children start to develop self 

ßKids start playing w each other instead of next to each other (in order to understand what’s going on w others you have to interact w them)

Game Stage

3. Game Stage (ages 6 up) 

• Kids become fascinated by the rules 

• Spend a lot of time planning to play the game 

• Children begin to take the perspective of the “game” or the rules 

• Taking the role of the “generalized other” 

• Children begin to develop a sense of morality 

←There’s a game and some rules that is outside of me and we need to understand them and take them into account 

Generalized Other

an internalized sense of the total expectations of others in a variety of settings-regardless of whether we’ve encountered those people or places before 

Final stage of self-development, when a person internalizes the attitudes, expectations, and values of society as a whole.

• Recognizing that there are many groups with different norms and viewpoints.

• Understanding that “the world” sees you and has social expectations.

• Allows individuals to function as members of society, guiding behavior based on shared norms rather than immediate personal relationships.
  Ex: Knowing not to shout in a library even when no one specific tells you not to.

Agents of socialization

families, schools, peers, the media & total institutions

Total Institution

a totally immersive institution which controls all of the basics of day-to-day life (controls where you live, what you do, when you get up, who you associate with, how you refer to ppl etc)

-no barriers exist between the usual sphere of daily life

-all activity occurs in the same place under the same authority

Ex. Marine Cops <--they are resocialized (certain parts of their identity is erased) and they live, eat, sleep bath, exercise, and study together and their every move is watched and critiqued. 

status

a recognizable social position that an individual occupies

Ascribed Status

Statuses we are born with or are otherwise assigned to us (involuntary)

Ex.child, gender, race, age, being born blind

Achieved Status

Status that we earn or choose (voluntary)

Ex.Parent, Criminal, engineer

Roles

If you are x (status) you are expected to behave y (this way based on the status) 

• Expectations for behavior in a social position 

• The rights and obligations attached to a status 

• The “part played” by a person who occupies a particular status 

• Roles are learned through the process of socialization -->they don’t come “naturally” 

2 Dimensions of Roles

ACTION: is the (in)appropriate behavior attached to certain statuses

IDENTITITY: emotions and attitudes

status symbols

symbols that indicate a person’s status

ex. cross necklace=Christian, wedding ring=married, student ID=student, rolex= of upper class