Unit 2 - Generational Trends, Money, Power, and the Media

Demographics

the statistical study of population

what do demographics tell us

they are used for public policy and marketing purposes, tell us about ethnicity, age and gender

census

official count of a population and an important tool for examining demographic information such as age, sex, education

how often are censuses done

conducted every five years

millennials

people born between the early 1980s and 2000s

characteristics of millennials

optimistic, moral, confident, culturally aware and diverse, skilled networkers, aware of their civic duty, receptive to change 

boomerange generation

group of young adults between 20-29 who for various social, economic and/or emotional reasons, do not leave home

nuclear family

spouses and their dependant children

extended family

several generations in a single household

lone parent family

one parent with one or more dependant children

blended family

divorced partners, married or not, with or without children from a previous union/marriage

same sex family

two individuals of the same sex, married or not, with or without children 

married/cohabiting family

spouses/partners without dependant children

tween

young boys/girls between the ages of 8-13

tween characteristics

they have begun to develop adolescent behaviours and values, very easy to market, most brand-oriented, consumer-involved and materialist generation in history, buying power is $260 million

generation z

people born between mid to late 1990s and 2010s

generation z characteristics

selfie generation, frugal, conservative and wanting to change for the better, digitally connected, driven and entrepreneurial, can communicate with speed, seek quality

7 distinguishing traits on gen z

special, protected, optimistic, social advocates, inclusive, accomplished and pressured 

festingers social comparison theory

individuals compare themselves with others when they are unable to judge their status and abilities on their own, upwards and downwards comparison

maslows hierarchy of needs

motivation toward self improvement drives an individual’s needs to belong

5 levels of needs

1. psychological needs - hunger/thirst

2. safety needs - job security/healthcare

3. belonging needs - love

4. esteem needs - respect and recognition of others

5. self actualization - fullest potential

sherifs theory of in groups and out groups

intergroup hostility can and often does arise when there exists conflicting goals and competition over a scarce quantity of resources

in groups

can be established easily, if brought together for a mutual goal, they produce a group structure with social hierarchy and roles

out groups

brought together in competition, hostile attitudes and actions occur

robbers cave experiment

showed how the in-group and out-group would openly attack each other, shows that hostility and violence are very common when groups are in conflict

the teenage brain and social media in 2016 ucla study

more brain activity when viewing photos with a large number of likes

the brain region that was most active was the nucleus accumbent

when teens see a photo with more likes, they are more likely to like it

teens self-identity is influenced by the opinions of others

less brain activation when looking at risky photos

charles cooleys looking glass theory

a person's self image is formed by imagining what others think of his or her behaviour or appearance

three components of the looking glass theory

1: envision how we appear to others 

2: envision the judgement of that appearance 

3: sense of self develops through that interaction

upwards and downwards comparison on how classmates may influence grades

upwards: when someone has a better grade than you and you compare yourself to them, you would say that you will never be that good 

downwards: when someone has a worse grade than you, you would show how much better of a student you are than them

repression

 reverting back to an earlier life stage and showing childlike behaviours

displacement

 redirecting emotions to a substitute target (taking anger out on someone)

sublimation

redirecting “incorrect” urges into socially acceptable actions (going to the gym)

denial

claiming and/or believing what is true to be false

projection

attributing uncomfortable feelings to others

rationalization

creating false but credible justifications for particular behaviours

reaction formation

converting anxious thoughts into their opposites

suppression

pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the unconscious mind

marx theory on money and power

conflict occurs due to differences of opinion or because of social inequalities

marx on the bourgeoisie and proletariat

bourgeoisie exploited the working class and oppressed them through capitalism, control the proletariat by alienating them from their work, causing them to take less pride in their work  

antonio gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony

society is dominated by one ruling  class and the ruling classes ideas and beliefs and considered the cultural norm

albert banduras study on learning through observation

believed that people learn through observing other people's behavior and then modelling it

observed that children exposed to aggression were more likely to model that behaviour

researchers concern on desensitization to violence

people are becoming are increasing desensitized to graphic images of sex and violence presented by popular media, what people watch has an impact on their personality and sense of self

the kardashian effect

the rich upscale lifestyle, attention seeking, people lose their values, creates comparisons. People wanting more and more