Read the Chapter and Answer a few questions regarding Culture - Essay Example

Sociology, Essay Date: Topic: Read the Chapter and Answer a few questions regarding Culture Question 1: Cultural diversity is the key value of American culture. Some of the values identified by the sociologist Robin Williams Jr. (1970) as central to American way of life are, “1.Equal opportunity, 2.Individual achievement and personal success 3.Material comfort 4.Activity and work 5.Practicality and efficiency 6.

Progress 7.Science 8.Democracy and free enterprise 9.Freedom.”((husky 1) America has the history of ingress of immigrants from many countries of the world. The lifestyles of such immigrant groups vary from each other in more than one area. America has shown great capacity for absorbing people from various cultural groups. Language is the important indicator of culture. About 300 languages are spoken in America. American students are the biggest participants in the virtual culture. Online classes and tutorials have become popular.

Even in schools and colleges students are dependent much on computers. All values, moderately practiced within the legal limits, are good and hence I do not reject any values. Using social media is like using the double-edged sword. With Facebooks and MySpace etc. you create a network, share information and also you share an important aspect of the personal information, like your e-mail account. An intelligent virtual criminal can use this information to reach up to your bank accounts and credit cards.

Thus, the cyber-criminal activities are on the rise. The excessive use of human-computer interface has made it difficult to distinguish technology from cultural and social aspect of human beings. When a particular community entertains false notions that their customs and cultural traditions are superior to that of others, it is known as ethnocentrism. With such assumptions hostility towards members of the other groups is the normal outcome. It may lead to discrimination and violence. Laws can bring about secular changes, but not in the inner values.

Negative value judgments lead to ethnocentrism, and that does not augur well for the unity of the country. John J Macionis (2010) argues, “Ethnocentrism links people to their society but can cause misunderstanding and conflict between societies. Cultural Relativism is increasingly important as people of the world come into more and more contact with each other. (pp. 53–56}. Unwritten laws, which vary from culture to culture, need to be respected by all the communities. Question 2: The consequences of the development and implementation of computer-mediated communication and the Internet in business and commercial applications are known as Virtual Culture.

Humankind turns savvier about technology as time rolls by. The after effects of Virtual Culture are twofold. It is beneficial as well as destructive. Nuclear energy is an important example to highlight this aspect. It can used for power generation and provide amenities for day to day living, as well as for the destruction of humankind through nuclear weapons. The impacts of the negative consequences need to be assessed. Technology has brought about unexpected gains for the humanity, but the expectations are constantly on the increase.

The dependence of humankind in every segment on the smooth functioning of the communication technology has reached astronomical proportions. Technology has also changed the pattern of social relationships. When I analyze the changes that have taken place in my lifestyle, I am amazed. Communication through e-mail has become an inseparable part of my life. I do not recollect when I visited the post office to post a business or personal letter or bought a greeting card last time. My computer does everything for me, provides many options and does the job in style.

Being a writer, I am so much dependent on computer. Imagine a manuscript of five hundred pages is uploaded to the destination within a matter of minutes and you get the instant acknowledge of its receipt. If I wish to talk personally to my contact abroad, I have the facility of Skype, over which detailed discussions are possible. I can book an air-ticket through internet and the three important areas that affect my day to day life, transportation, communication and storage of information are radically improved with the advancement of technology.

Thus the Virtual Culture has become an inseparable part of my personal as well as professional life. ReferencesMacionis John J. (2010).Society: The Basics. Prentice Hall; PrintUS values list – American Ethos, Oct 11, 2002 (based on Robin Williams, Jr.1970) Retrieved on August 6, 2012