Culture and the media What is Culture Sociologists look at the importance of the role of culture in our lives Culture is the complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life for a given group or society What is perceived as beautiful right wrong good or bad Has an impact on how a person perceives certain things Culture gives meaning to society Culture is both material and nonmaterial Material consists of objects in society buildings art etc Nonmaterial consists of mental blueprints that serve as guidelines for group behavior Includes norms beliefs and values in a group of people Characteristics of Culture Culture is shared The shared nature of culture makes human society possible Different groups have unique histories languages and beliefs These differ from one culture to the next A collective experience People in a given culture share these symbols and ways of thinking Culture is learned Learned indirectly through observation and imitation It just seems natural Learned informally and formally Culture is taken for granted it seems natural The Elements of Culture Language Norms Language without language there would be no culture slang formal connotations Cultures are connected through language a set of symbols and rules that are combined in a meaningful way result in a complex communication system To be a part of any group you must learn that group s language Norms specific cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation ex Folkways Mores etc Norms govern every situation A society without norms would be chaos formal or informal Folkways general standards of behavior adhered to by everyone informal Mores strict norms more formal they control our behavior enforced by rule and laws e g killing someone you will go to jail There is usually a formal punishment for Mores Beliefs Values Beliefs shared ideas held collectively by people within a given culture about what is true assertions about the nature of reality can provide that group with a fundamental orientation of the world it answers questions moral spiritual societal can explain destiny of humans and the universe shared beliefs bind people together Values the abstract standards in a society or group that define ideal principles define what is desirable and morally correct Cultural Diversity Dominant Culture the most powerful group Subculture those who differ from the dominant culture what creates diversity their values norms can differ from those of the dominant culture possess some elements of the dominant culture but they also have their own Ethnocentrism our culture s way is the right way and the only way the habit of only seeing things from the point of view of your own group or distinctive elements culture thinking of things from this perspective can lead on to narrow minded conclusions about the work of diverse culture Cultural relativism can view behavior according to the group practicing the behavior the opposite of ethnocentrism something can be understood and judged only in relationship to the cultural context in which it appears viewing one s behavior in a social group of where it is being practiced The Mass Media and Popular Culture The term mass media refers to the channels of communication that are available to wide segments of the population Includes print film electronic media and the internet Mass media has an extraordinary power to shake culture because you can be bombarded with what others believe due to the information that is available to you The media influences our society s ideas of what is beautiful and what is not Sociological Theory Culture Functionalist Theory emphasizes the influence of values norms and beliefs on the whole society Can create or destruct bonds that hold people together in society Bowling Alone Robert D Putnam decline in civic engagement people are no longer a part of voluntary organizations people in society don t want to help each other this is problematic Conflict Theorists see culture as influenced by economic interests and power relations in society analyze culture as a source of power conflict between different cultures This idea or concept of culture forces people to buy into the beliefs of dominant culture Symbolic interactionists emphasizes that culture is socially constructed the meaning of the symbols is what makes it work