The Lived Community Experience - Dissertation Example

The lived community experience BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE HERE The lived community experience Introduction An interview with a was conducted which involved inquiry about their lived community experience. The interview was free flowing, consisting of open-ended questions that allowed the researcher to fully explore the participant’s views on lifestyle and their role in a perceived global community. The interview revealed some rather surprising information regarding how the student viewed the concept of global communities, including viewpoints on cultural influence and the nature of cooperation and collaboration in a social context. Overall, the interview participant appeared to have a very positive perspective about global communities and maintained a legitimate desire to be more actively engaged in providing both professional and social benefit to a broader society. To the student, a global community consisted of media influence, social partnerships, and the establishment of a single culture that unifies all of society around the world. The role of the media When the student was asked to provide his unique definition of global communities, the student was engaged in discussion about the role of media in society. He viewed a global community as an exchange of ideas, cultures and products that occurs as a result of increased globalisation that exposes disparate members of society to a single cultural ideal. Robertson (1992) recognises that as the world become more compressed, it leads to a type of consciousness that maintains a worldview of unity rather than seeing society as being restricted by geographic boundaries. The student concurred with this perspective, believing that media was highly influential in shaping this new consciousness. He provided an example of the company Coca-Cola that now has a significantly-recognised brand identity that has become part of international cultures. Today, virtually everyone in the world recognises the Coca-Cola brand which has become a popular culture icon in many different countries that maintain unique social values and norms. The student believed that companies like Coca-Cola, which are promoted in a variety of different mediums, is what helps people to establish a personal sense of social belonging and find their identities amongst a growing global environment. Sterne and Scott (2010) iterate that media serves as an influential platform for social belonging. Wanting to explore this notion further, the student was asked to give his impression of contemporary media as a force which potentially shapes the lived community experience. The student maintained a mixed review of media, emphasising that media can be a negative influence and a positive influence in shaping global lifestyle. The student felt that international marketing and advertising tends to promote unconstructive social viewpoints, especially with the many different varieties of make-up and fashions. The student commented on a personal experience with a friend who was always pessimistic about her body and clothing who consistently compared herself to the unrealistic models and actresses shown in media sources. According to the student, this friend maintained very distorted self-image problems and ultimately had to be treated for anorexia as a result of this distortion. Post-interview research on the phenomenon of body dysmorphia discovered that those afflicted with this problem find a small defect that they perceive as part of their physical appearance and, as a result, are always anxious and tend to withdraw from social situations (Bjornsson, Didie and Phillips 2010). The participant’s main concern is that many countries are taking on these values related to vanity and narcissism which erodes quality friendships, family lifestyle and even human health, as in the case of the friend example who sustained body dysmorphic syndrome as a result of exposure to global media. Post-interview research conducted on the role of media as a negative social influence produced as example from the African nation of Nigeria. Nigerian social norms involve having a very strong focus on the preservation of family and social connections. However, due to Western advertising and media, Nigerian youths are abandoning these core values and attempting to adapt their lifestyles to Western cultural norms. American films and music often have very potent sexual themes and vulgarity (Salami and Awolowo 2006) which is considered offensive by traditionalist Nigerian society. The very conservative values in Nigeria as compared to the liberalism common in Western media are not congruent. However, growing trade in the nation with Western countries continues to exert pressure on Nigerian culture to adopt the many universal principles established within democratic nations such as the UK and the United States. This example supports the interview participant’s many concerns about the negative influence of media as a cultural aggressor. The concerns expressed about the role of media in shaping global communities provided an opportunity to explore attitudes further. The student was asked whether he viewed himself as liberal or conservative and then to explain how this might impact lifestyle as a global citizen. He considered himself quite progressive, but also realistic at the same time. The student’s most prominent concern was that new generations of youths are more easily influenced by media and marketing. The student was concerned that violence in media was changing youths values related to what constitutes right versus wrong behaviour and that these influences were changing ethical norms in a way that is highly unconstructive. The student may be correct in this assumption. Post-interview research identified a study involving 1,393 adolescents which showed that domestic violence was a regular part of lifestyle. The study found that 67 percent of the participants in the study had personal experience with parental aggression (Lepisto, Luukkala and Paavilainen 2011). Furthermore, it is recognised that children’s television programming on Saturday morning consist of violence at a ratio of five times that of adult programming (Murray 1995). Since children often seek opinion and approval from important peer reference groups (Dumas and Wolfe 2012; Berger and Rodkin 2012; Henslin 2005), adopting norms of violence as a result of media exposure would have significant implications for global community lifestyle into the future. The very pragmatic responses from the student about media revealed a very mature opinion about its impact on global communities. The prevailing need for social belonging, inherent to virtually all individuals, is what builds self-esteem (Weiten and Lloyd 2010). Part of lifestyle in the global communities is gaining important judgments from others to establish a perception of fitting in as it pertains to social belongingness. If the student’s perceptions and attitudes are correct, adopting negative social norms in order to gain a place in social society could be highly problematic. Negative norms of a prevailing global social community that are being adopted as a result of increased exposure to media and globalisation could substantially alter quality of life or even psychological security. From a positive perspective, however, the student felt that media was an excellent forum for educating global society and establishing a human rights norm that is becoming universally accepted by many different global cultures. Media, as perceived by the student, restricts governments from being corrupt and allows for effective democracy. Many of the student’s responses were in favour of neoliberalism, an ideology in which government is meant to be laissez-faire and where businesses have considerable autonomy free of government control and regulation (Olssen and Peters 2005). He believed strongly that a democratic and laissez-faire style of government provided significant benefits to members of global society, allowing nations to be run by the people and governed by the people. Media exposes these values to many different countries which, in turn, can create positive social change. Post-interview research uncovered a situation which supported the student’s viewpoints. In China, university students began to protest political authority and corruption in Tiananmen Square (Cunningham 2010). The Communist-based government with very centralised control and authority was being pressured to adopt more democratic principles common in Western nations. These protests gained a response from the Chinese government that involved violence and imprisonment for those who argued against government corruption. The media, however, rallied even more Chinese citizen support for these protests, educating them rather quickly about the dangers of a hostile and autocratic government system. Television journalism reports illustrated to Chinese citizens (and foreign citizens) about government tyranny and the dangers of dictatorial government regimes which promoted a great deal of social and governmental change in the country. Hence, media, as described by the student in the interview, does appear to improve lifestyles and social relationships in the global community and provides the foundation for achieving autonomy in countries with oppressive government systems. The principles of democracy, once isolated to only a select handful of nations, is now becoming an underpinning ideology across the world as a unifying force to enhance the social condition and lifestyle as a result of media influence. Social partnerships The interviewed student felt very favourably about life in the global community because of the many different social partnerships that have developed as a result of globalisation. He showed enthusiasm about charity work, such as in situations where a disaster occurred and many different community members rally in support for assistance and support. The student believed that this desire to come together is a result of a new norm of global communities. He emphasised that it gives him a personal sense of security to understand that people with different ethnic backgrounds and social values could work together successfully and collaborate to improve lifestyle and human welfare. The participant also felt that many important organisations were formed under the ideology of global communities, which now provide social and health-related benefits to global citizens. Post-interview research identified a relevant example: The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). With a budget exceeding $550 million USD (Jewish News Weekly 1999), the mission of this organisation is to provide advancements in education, medicine and social support for individuals 55 years of age or older. The organisation serves as an advocate for improving elderly lifestyle. Many other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) started by public figures or groups provide similar support under special interest doctrines designed to facilitate a more harmonious and health global community. The majority of NGOs seek to create small-scale and recurring changes related to their agendas, operating under well-controlled hierarchies of control to maximise human capital and resources (Hulme 1994). Perhaps the student had an excellent perception of how organisations with a social mission and charitable acts of kindness are becoming strong social norms which improves personal security and enhances lifestyle. Society can witness this with the influence of efforts constructed by the United Nations as it pertains to promoting a singular set of human rights norms across global society. For instance, Tinker (1990) illustrates that women’s rights have been improved across the world as a result of UN influence and coercion. Whereas in many nations women have historically been oppressed and demoralised, UN influence and the prevailing social norms which founded the organisation have been spread across the globe and changed the hearts and minds of many in the global community. The interview participant saw the many benefits of social partnerships as an advantage to being part of the lived community experience. It was highly interesting that the student measured and expressed his optimism about social partnerships as an outcome of being part of a global community. Prior to the interview, the researcher had not considered that social partnerships (such as the NGO) actually maintained the ability to develop global social norms and change social attitudes. However, many of these organisations that operate to fulfil human welfare initiatives were started as a result of the growing influence of many diverse individuals who are now becoming part of a global culture. Many of these organisations service not only domestic citizens in the location where the organisation operates, but have built relevant business models designed to cater to the welfare needs of foreign citizens. The student had an excellent point about the many tangible benefits of social partnerships and social organisations that are now prevalent all over the world and maintain very congruent missions and goals that are designed to satisfy all members of the growing global community. A single global culture The student felt that a global community meant having a single worldwide culture that unifies everyone on the planet and creates many benefits to society. When asked to elaborate on this notion, the student had some compelling thoughts and arguments. Firstly, the participant mentioned his experiences in business where organisations attempt to build a singular, cohesive organisational culture based on ethics and corporate mission. Companies are now spending a great deal of financial capital and labour capital in this pursuit with an emphasis on human resources development, coaching and mentoring for skills development. Where in the past it was common for there to be a great deal of power distance between managers and subordinates, today organisations are becoming much more decentralised and seek to consult with employees as valued contributors to the organisation and its strategies. One such example can be illustrated with Burberry, a leading fashion retailer with a rich and long history of operations in the United Kingdom. When Burberry decided it would be advantageous to open a new outlet in Brazil, the company brought with it the firm’s sense of ethnocentrism, a belief that a country’s own culture is superior to others (Omohundro 2008). The company had a unified culture with ethnocentric values which was, initially, rejected by Brazilian employees. However, through the process of education and experience with British expatriate leaders, Brazilian professional culture which is distinctly different than that of the United Kingdom began to adopt many British social and professional norms present at the firm. Hence, the student had an excellent point about the presence of a single global culture. Foreign direct investment in other nations exposes many foreign citizens to these norms and values, thereby not only altering the corporate environment, but social attitudes as well. In highly competitive and saturated market environments, there is growing emphasis on team-working in order to produce more business solutions and product innovations. However, in order to build positive team outcomes, it is necessary to achieve development of a unified organisational culture, which involves addressing issues of ethnic diversity and unique cultural backgrounds of disparate workers and managers. The student felt that there were many advantages of being part of a single global culture (not just in the business world) that enhanced social belongingness and built many important social relationships. When asked to elaborate on other advantages of being part of a single global culture, the interview participant emphasised two key themes: a richer family structure and improved education opportunities. The student believed that education is improved due to the fact that it is becoming a norm in most nations that learning and training should be promoted by government and the public sector. A cohesive culture of education is what has built an online education model, facilitated better relationships between tutor and student, and provided real-world business theory and practice which give nations very strong competitive advantages. The student felt that the ideology of improving education is now shared by a global community which has reduced poverty rates and improved quality of life in many nations both developed and under-developed. The student believed that without establishment of a single global culture, education would still be in the “stone age” and not progressive enough to improve social lifestyle. Hence, the student felt that cohesion as a single global culture greatly improved the ability for individuals to compete and be marketable for positive employment opportunities. When asked to elaborate on family togetherness as an outcome of being part of a single global culture, the student informed that it was becoming a prevailing norm in global communities to value children and the sanctity of marriage. Part of the positive lived community experience is to have support from loved ones and know that they care about one’s future and their emotional state. The student felt that this single global culture that values family had been created as a result of globalisation as well as media influence in promoting such concepts as child welfare programs, family planning services, and the plethora of available counselling services that make families stronger and improve relationships. Over time, this type of promotion, according to the student, raised awareness of family-oriented principles and has become a strong social norm in modern society. Whereas in the past it was common for children to leave the home and seek their own fortunes during early adulthood, now the student feels that the presence of a single global culture allows individuals to sustain this support with the foundation of a strong family structure well into the future. Perhaps the student is absolutely correct, as a study was conducted using 1,200 individuals over the age of 50 indicated that 91 percent of respondents believed family values were the most important virtue in lifestyle (Coombes 2005). Conclusion As indicated, short of the many concerns illustrated by the student regarding media influence in a global communities context, the student felt that his lived experience as a member of a single global culture were constructive and optimistic. Improvements in charitable acts from a cohesive global community were cited, along with educational improvement opportunities, improved social partnerships and the impact of globalisation. The interview provided a foundation for understanding how one’s identity is shaped in a global community context and how a contemporary student views global community membership. The student interviewed offered very unique and matured discussions at it pertained to his individual perceptions of the community experience. The interview findings illustrated that membership in a global community maintains largely positive consequences and that there are many benefits and advantages to this membership. The interview process provided the researcher with valuable analysis capabilities and research competencies which will have many benefits in lifestyle and in education. It provided a foundation for how to compile important information and be able to effectively describe the research findings in a format that is both thorough and explanatory. Perhaps this is another aspect of being part of a single global community: gaining experience and improving aptitude to be a better contributor to all members of global society. References Berger, C. and Rodkin, P. (2012). Group influences on individual aggression and prosociality: Early adolescents who change peer affiliations, Social Development, 21, pp.396-413. Bjornsson, A., Didie, E. and Phillips, K. (2010). 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