Social Media and Cultural Change
In modern times, culture and social media have become so symbiotic that it is difficult to talk about one without considering the other. Is social media good for a given culture or cultural change or is it bad? Due to the complicated nature of culture and social media, it is very difficult to make such judgments. There are a few conclusions that one can draw from this relationship. Cultural change can be rapid or slow and it seems with the world-wide popularity of social media platforms that cultures around the world will change at a more rapid pace than ever. Secondly, with more access to values, beliefs and norms of other cultures, it seems the “Global Village” is getting closer by the day.
Before discussing …show more content…
Part of the Barrel Model, “Superstructure” has to do with people’s worldview and encompasses religion, government and art. Political parties and religious organizations are not ignorant of the power of social media and frequently use it to further their agenda. The next part of the Barrel Model looks at Social Structure and social arrangements in society. This involves family, education and marriage. As mentioned before, marriage is definitely influenced by social media. Lastly, the Barrel Model looks at Infrastructure and how people make money. Facebook’s earnings report includes “Revenue per User” which basically means that each person on Facebook, by viewing advertisements, makes money for the company. (Macfarlane) It is not an isolated environment with just a person and their friends. Companies like Facebook make use of data mining to present the user with advertisements that suit their tastes. Friends are not the only ones sharing their ideas; the other influencers are imbedded as …show more content…
For the most part, cultural values have been transmitted from the “top down”. In India, they are seeing a change in how people relay desired changes. The use of social media has aided in the, “pursuit of egalitarian and democratic goals by civil society groups in situations where the mainstream media has succumbed to censorship, state propaganda and violent repression.” (Banaji 259)
Social media is here to stay but it is also a very new way to communicate and influence culture. As such, the true impact of how social media will affect a particular culture may not be known for years. There are certainly positive and negative aspects of social media when it comes to maintaining or changing a culture. In this respect, it is neither good nor bad. It is only different. The key will be to understand how social media works, including its capabilities and limitations, and use this knowledge to help preserve the unique cultures that exist around the
In modern times, culture and social media have become so symbiotic that it is difficult to talk about one without considering the other. Is social media good for a given culture or cultural change or is it bad? Due to the complicated nature of culture and social media, it is very difficult to make such judgments. There are a few conclusions that one can draw from this relationship. Cultural change can be rapid or slow and it seems with the world-wide popularity of social media platforms that cultures around the world will change at a more rapid pace than ever. Secondly, with more access to values, beliefs and norms of other cultures, it seems the “Global Village” is getting closer by the day.
Before discussing …show more content…
Part of the Barrel Model, “Superstructure” has to do with people’s worldview and encompasses religion, government and art. Political parties and religious organizations are not ignorant of the power of social media and frequently use it to further their agenda. The next part of the Barrel Model looks at Social Structure and social arrangements in society. This involves family, education and marriage. As mentioned before, marriage is definitely influenced by social media. Lastly, the Barrel Model looks at Infrastructure and how people make money. Facebook’s earnings report includes “Revenue per User” which basically means that each person on Facebook, by viewing advertisements, makes money for the company. (Macfarlane) It is not an isolated environment with just a person and their friends. Companies like Facebook make use of data mining to present the user with advertisements that suit their tastes. Friends are not the only ones sharing their ideas; the other influencers are imbedded as …show more content…
For the most part, cultural values have been transmitted from the “top down”. In India, they are seeing a change in how people relay desired changes. The use of social media has aided in the, “pursuit of egalitarian and democratic goals by civil society groups in situations where the mainstream media has succumbed to censorship, state propaganda and violent repression.” (Banaji 259)
Social media is here to stay but it is also a very new way to communicate and influence culture. As such, the true impact of how social media will affect a particular culture may not be known for years. There are certainly positive and negative aspects of social media when it comes to maintaining or changing a culture. In this respect, it is neither good nor bad. It is only different. The key will be to understand how social media works, including its capabilities and limitations, and use this knowledge to help preserve the unique cultures that exist around the