Social Interaction and Social Structure Chapter 5

Social Interaction: The process by which we act toward and react to people around us Four Critical Components of Social Interaction: 1. It is central to all human social activity, and includes nonverbal behavior and words 2. People respond differently depending on what they think is at stake for them. 3. People influence each others behavior through social interaction. 4. Elements of social interaction affect all social interaction but can produce different personal outcomes.

Social Structure: An organized pattern of behavior that governs people’s relationships Status: Social position occupied by a person in a society Status set: Collection of social statuses occupied by persons at a given time Ascribed Status: Social position that a person is born into  Can not be controlled, chosen and changed Achieved Status: Person attains through personal effort or assumes voluntarily Master status: Forms an important part of one’s social identity Status inconsistency: Arises from occupying social positions that are ranked differently Social Structure Definitions

What is your Status???

Roles Role: The behavior expected of a person who has a particular status. We occupy a status but play a role Roles can be rigid or flexible Because roles are based on mutual obligations, they ensure that social relations are fairly orderly.

Role Definitions Role Performance: The actual behavior of a person who occupies a status. Role Set: The different roles attached to a single status Role Conflict: Experienced by a person when dealing with the requirements of multiple statuses Role Strain: Arises from incompatible demands among roles within a single status

Why do people experience role conflict or role strain??

Ways to minimize role conflict and role strain Compromise and negotiation Set priorities Compartmentalize Decide not take on more roles Exit a role or status

Symbolic Interaction explanation of Social Interaction People taking each other and the context into account Social construction of reality People perceive and understand reality to be a creation of the social interaction Evolves through direct and indirect interaction Self-fulfilling prophecy: People defining something as real and acting upon it, makes it real People’s perceptions of reality shapes their behavior

Symbolic Interaction explanation of Social Interaction (cont) Ethnomethodology: Study of how people construct and learn to share definitions of reality that make daily interactions possible People understand interactions by: Observing conversations and discovering rules of interaction Violating interaction rules Dramaturgical analysis : Examines social interaction as if it is occurring on a stage People play different roles and act out scenes for the audiences with whom they interact Interaction involves impression management Front stage behavior - Involves area where an actual performance takes place Back stage behavior - Involves area concealed from the audience

Nonverbal Communication Messages that are sent without using words Silence Expresses a various emotions Means different things to different people Builds up anger and hostility if used against people who are important in one’s life Visual Cues Gestures Facial expression Eye contact Touch Gendered touching

Nonverbal Communication (cont) Personal Space Reflects power and status, and varies across societies Public - Has clear delineated spaces Private - Convey informality and a relaxed feeling Power Space usage signifies who has privilege, status, and power Increase socioeconomic status indicates greater the consumption of space Cross-cultural variations Cultural norms and values determine how people use space

Online Communication Social media: Enables users to create, share, and exchange information and ideas Demographic variation Internet and smart phone usage depends on income levels and locality Digital divide exists between social classes Social networking site: Connects people with similar interests Popularly used by women Majority of users include young adults aging 18 to 29

Benefits of Online Interaction Family ties Video games encourage children to build, explore, collaborate, and improve eye-hand coordination Educational apps foster creativity and learning Cell phones have increased frequency of interaction between parents Mobile technology allows the freedom to gather information, communicate, and socialize and texting facilitates communication between married and committed adults Online relationships Strengthen interpersonal and community ties Foster a diverse social network of people across social class and ethnic groups

Disadvantages of Online Interaction Excessive usage is linked with obesity, poor performance, aggression, and lack of sleep Advertisements contain gender stereotypes, and violence Obsessive use causes conflict with professors, employers, family and friends Causes distraction between couples Involves a constant compulsion to connect Superficial and give people a false sense of friendship and connection to others Inflate people’s ego and replace time taken to develop genuine friendship Create envy, loneliness, anger, and self-esteem issues

Online Harassment, Public Shaming and Privacy Issues Cyberbullying - Use of digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about someone Cyberstalking - Threatening or unwanted behavior using electronic communication Public accusations and shaming people on a disagreement gets readers’ attention Jeopardized as and text messages are not anonymous and confidential Tech companies track people on their cell phones and send customized, hypertargeted ads