Introductory Paragraph This essay will do the following; demonstrate how the agents of socialization limit our choices, how commercial media can influence our views on our community, and the power of cultivation. I will also analyze how the media’s portrayal of different ethnic groups can sway our opinions about them. In this essay I will give several examples of the mean world syndrome and how it can affect us in our daily lives.
Limits on Our Choices We are always making decisions. We make decisions everyday that impact our lives in immense ways like, where we go to school, what we choose as our careers and who we want to spend the rest of our lives with. It may be a surprise to be some, but when it comes to choices, the world is …show more content…
One way the agents of socialization have an influence on our lives is through our social identity. When we are born, our parents give us a social identity. This includes our social class. Social class has a vast impact on the types and amount of choices we have later on in life. Usually, parents of lower social standing have limited education and routine jobs. They expect less of their children than well-off parents who are educated and promote independence and creativity. (macionis, p.94-95) Therefore, children from a higher social standing are more prone to be prepared for higher levels of education and jobs while the children from a lower social standing may lack some qualities they are looking for.
Impacts of Watching Violence on TV Watching TV is a huge part of society. 80% of people watch television everyday or almost everyday. (Lecture Notes, Chapter 3) Since watching television is such a popular past time, we may not think about the negative effects that watching television has on us. We don’t even realize it, but by watching television our perceptions of reality start to change. The Media tends to thrive on the cultivation of anxiety. Cultivation is a stable system of messages and …show more content…
The media tends to stick to stereotypes when it comes to the portrayal of different ethnic groups. In the last century, 90% of the Hollywood portrayals of Arabs have been negative. (Video) However for African Americans this is not the case. African Americans are portrayed as successful and educated on cable shows. One possible reason for this may be that the media is trying to give off the idea that racism is not an issue anymore. On the contrary, the way African Americans are represented on cable news is vastly different than how they are represented on television. African Americans are twice as likely to be shown on the news for a violent crime than White Americans. (Video) This causes people to be fearful when they see an African American on the street. When in reality White Americans are 4.7 times more likely to victimized by another white person than an African American. (Video) Latinos are almost never mentioned in a positive way on commercial media. A popular topic in the media is illegal immigration. 73% of Americans believe that an increase of immigrants causes higher crime rates. Even though the crime rates are at an all time low where the immigrant population is at its highest.
Limits on Our Choices We are always making decisions. We make decisions everyday that impact our lives in immense ways like, where we go to school, what we choose as our careers and who we want to spend the rest of our lives with. It may be a surprise to be some, but when it comes to choices, the world is …show more content…
One way the agents of socialization have an influence on our lives is through our social identity. When we are born, our parents give us a social identity. This includes our social class. Social class has a vast impact on the types and amount of choices we have later on in life. Usually, parents of lower social standing have limited education and routine jobs. They expect less of their children than well-off parents who are educated and promote independence and creativity. (macionis, p.94-95) Therefore, children from a higher social standing are more prone to be prepared for higher levels of education and jobs while the children from a lower social standing may lack some qualities they are looking for.
Impacts of Watching Violence on TV Watching TV is a huge part of society. 80% of people watch television everyday or almost everyday. (Lecture Notes, Chapter 3) Since watching television is such a popular past time, we may not think about the negative effects that watching television has on us. We don’t even realize it, but by watching television our perceptions of reality start to change. The Media tends to thrive on the cultivation of anxiety. Cultivation is a stable system of messages and …show more content…
The media tends to stick to stereotypes when it comes to the portrayal of different ethnic groups. In the last century, 90% of the Hollywood portrayals of Arabs have been negative. (Video) However for African Americans this is not the case. African Americans are portrayed as successful and educated on cable shows. One possible reason for this may be that the media is trying to give off the idea that racism is not an issue anymore. On the contrary, the way African Americans are represented on cable news is vastly different than how they are represented on television. African Americans are twice as likely to be shown on the news for a violent crime than White Americans. (Video) This causes people to be fearful when they see an African American on the street. When in reality White Americans are 4.7 times more likely to victimized by another white person than an African American. (Video) Latinos are almost never mentioned in a positive way on commercial media. A popular topic in the media is illegal immigration. 73% of Americans believe that an increase of immigrants causes higher crime rates. Even though the crime rates are at an all time low where the immigrant population is at its highest.