Sociology Assignment: Media As A Powerful Social Institution

Question

Task:
Write a sociology assignment on the topic “The media is the most influential social institution today. Do you agree or disagree? Why/ why not?”.

Answer

Introduction
According to the research on sociology assignment, the social institutions are created and developed by individuals to grow the social relationship in the society fulfilling the basic needs such as law and order, stability, and the clearly defined roles of decision-making and authority. As different organizations are dependent upon the established and the recognized set of rules and traditions, these usages and the rules generally vary from each individual (Freelon et al., 2020). Media can be considered as the crucial channel of communication especially print media and electronic media. This is because of the emergence of the mass media towards the end of the 20th century with the help of radio and movies, the revised televised programming as well as the acceleration of further growth on the Internet within the past few decades (Dumpit & Fernandez, 2017). Mass media can be considered to play the role of the dominant social institution because it caters to the needs of the society and thereby educates the masses. This study will highlight why the media can be considered to be a powerful social institution in this present society.

Discussion
In this fast and modern society, it can be said that the media can be considered to be the medium that is accessed through technology thereby making the traditional social institutions such as the family, the government, the temples, and the churches redundant. Most of the individuals in this present world prefer to consider the media for direction in the rules as well as bringing changes in the societal values (Dumpit & Fernandez, 2017). Although the crucial objective of the media organization is to earn profitability, the media can be considered to be the most visible way that highlights the gender definition, the views on the opposition, and construction on the display form. With the help of these media, it also becomes easier to interpret the cultural changes and thus manage the beliefs of the individual. The visual and the verbal images that are reinforced in the media also make it easier to construct the ideas linked with the particular subject where gender differences can be considered to be vital in this case. In this case, an example can be cited of the media highlighting the events of women empowerment and the elimination of gender differences from the society through advertisement and screen plays.

The order and the stability are generally provided by the media through the scheduled programming affecting the everyday routine and the cultural lifestyle of the individuals. The internet can be considered to be the crucial source of receiving constant information thereby fulfilling the educational role in society catering to the needs and the preferences of the individuals. In the US, the mass media can be considered to be the crucial social institution shaping the communication process (Cabrera et al., 2017). The media generally acts as the gatekeepers of information that utilizes the stereotypes as one of the crucial primary tools in carrying out the communication values with the help of a dominant culture. These stereotypes generally circumscribe the boundaries to “what” and “where” that is possible in an individual’s life. In this case, an example can be cited of the role of media in highlighting the short plays or the talk shows on the importance of communication and education in the modern society. Through the help of the media, it becomes easier for the individuals to view each other, carry out the internalization process, organization of the society and thus act following the systems of ranking in the society (Dumpit & Fernandez, 2017). All these aspects are considered to lay powerful influence on the varied possibilities that individual perceives for themselves thereby laying effect on the behavior through the manifestation of the possibilities.

The contemporary mass media plays an effective role in defining the appropriate level of cultural boundaries including gender, culture, and race. This media carries out the role of societal functions as the basic social aspects in modern society. It also becomes easier to disseminate the information with the help of media as all information cannot be created equally through the media (Chukwuere & Chukwuere, 2017). Social media can also be considered as a tremendous form of outcry and protest while the other forms of media can be considered to be controversial and conscipious. The media shapes and molds public opinion highlighting current events. It can be said that the media corporations generally have strict control over the stories and thus this assists them to deal with international issues (Livingstone, 2019). In this case, examples can be cited of the talk shows with renowed individuals making the common citizens aware of the problems and issues. As these issues can be considered to be critical to the individual, there should be careful attempts made to narrow down the views of the world thereby considering the media as the crucial social institution.

There are several theories of sociology such as the individual difference theory, the theory of social relation, the social categorization theory, and the theory of cultural norms highlighting the influential role of the mass media as a crucial social institution. According to the individual difference theory, it has been found that there have been careful attempts made in developing the individual’s character through the learning process. These individual differences generally occur due to environmental differences that result in tackling the different aspects of the individual (Cabrera et al., 2017). On the other hand, the social categorization theory states that individuals must possess certain traits and characteristics that are essential for the formation of attitudes in facing external stimuli. The theory of social relationships also states that most individuals prefer to receive the messages that are generally obtained in the media through the development of contacts and relationships rather than directly accepting the influence of the mass media. The different types of inter-personal relationships possess a strong influence on the delivery of information with the help of this media.

Media also plays an essential role in expanding the horizons of thought. This is because the individuals who reside in the traditional society consider that the media possess supernatural power and thus it becomes easier for the individuals to understand the place and the person where he/she has never visited. With the help of the media, it becomes easier for individuals to recognize how the individuals of the developing countries gain a new outlook in their life (Livingstone, 2019). This media can be considered as the essential bridge for tackling the bridge between traditional and modern society. On the other hand, with the help of the media, it also becomes easier to develop attention. As the traditional society is moving towards the growth and the development of modern life, it is important to make careful aspects on analyzing the role of media. With time, it has been found that individuals generally prefer to quit their culture or custom assuming it to be a combination of modern and traditional aspects. Moreover, the media also assists in the indirect growth of the community aspirations through delivery or the broadcast of the information (Cabrera et al., 2017). As different types of new messages are distributed through the media, it is considered to play an essential role in shaping society.

Media has made it easier to deliver information in society quickly and accurately. It also plays an important role in supporting the change process with the help of a discussion group, the change in the beliefs, attitudes, and the social norms of the individual to a great extent. As the media serves as the educators, it can also play an effective role in improving public knowledge thereby serving as an essential social institution (Lewis & Molyneux, 2018). An example tht can be cited in this case is the orgniastion of the public awareness campaign in the media to help the individuals understand the change process in the society. Due to the rapid expansion of information and communication technology, the media is considered to play an important role in tackling the common changes occurring across the world. The existence of the mass media in presenting the information triggers the change and thus lays an effect on society (Dumpit & Fernandez, 2017). The information that is presented in the media produces a tangible positive and negative effect on society. Although the change process is created slowly, the media can be considered to play an important role in shaping the views of the public as well as visualization of the everyday work activities of the individual.

With the help of the media, it becomes easier for the public to understand the standard of living of the individuals that indirectly causes the community to assess the feasibility of the environment. The information or the messages that are shared through the media assists in the development of an improved and better community in the society making the individuals feel fair or good as well as restoration of the feeling of trust among the individuals (Bradshaw & Howard, 2018). The socio-psychological aspects that assist in the flow of information affect the mental development and growth of the individuals. The pattern of behavior of these individuals can be shaped through the media that plays an effective role in the enhancement of society.

Conclusion
Thus, it can be said that media plays an essential role in shaping the behaviors of individuals thereby deviating the social norms and cultural values. In this present era, it has been found that individuals generally violate the social norms, but it is the role of the media to shape the thoughts, behaviors, and feelings of the individuals. With the help of this media, it becomes easier to deliver the information from the communicator to the receptors bringing changes in the society. Therefore, the information received through the mass media is considered to lay a higher influence on the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of the individuals through bringing changes in the society.

References
Bradshaw, S., & Howard, P. N. (2018). Challenging truth and trust: A global inventory of organized social media manipulation. The Computational Propaganda Project, 1.

Cabrera, D., Vartabedian, B. S., Spinner, R. J., Jordan, B. L., Aase, L. A., & Timimi, F. K. (2017). More than likes and tweets: creating social media portfolios for academic promotion and tenure. Journal of graduate medical education, 9(4), 421.

Chukwuere, J. E., & Chukwuere, P. C. (2017). The impact of social media on social lifestyle: A case study of university female students. Gender and Behaviour, 15(4), 9966-9981.

Dumpit, D. Z., & Fernandez, C. J. (2017). Analysis of the use of social media in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) using the Technology Acceptance Model. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(1), 1-16.

Freelon, D., McIlwain, C., & Clark, M. (2018). Quantifying the power and consequences of social media protest. New Media & Society, 20(3), 990-1011.

Lewis, S. C., & Molyneux, L. (2018). A decade of research on social media and journalism: Assumptions, blind spots, and a way forward. Media and Communication, 6(4), 11-23.

Livingstone, S. (2019). Audiences in an age of datafication: Critical questions for media research. Television & New Media, 20(2), 170-183.