Chapter 2 Culture & the Media 1

Defining of Culture Culture is the complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life for a given group or society. 2

Material and Nonmaterial Culture Two Types of Culture –Material culture –Nonmaterial culture 3

language Male pronoun in job description “Latin/Hispanic American”/“Asian American”/ American Indian “working women” “male” nurse etc.

Norms are the specific cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation. Beliefs are shared ideas held collectively by people within a given culture about what is true. Values are the abstract standards in a society or group that define ideal principles.

Culture and Social Issues Traffic and car accidents Law & Crimes & guns American food & obesity, high blood pressure, overweight

Statistics Crime rate: the U.S. vs. Japan (from Reid’s book) 7

Culture and Social Issues Guilt Culture vs. Shame culture Individualism vs. “groupism” 8

Discussion Questions 9

Characteristics of Culture Five universal aspects of culture Culture: 1.is shared 2.is learned 3.is taken for granted 4.is symbolic 5.varies across time and space 10

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Ethnomethodology Ethnomethodology is a subfield within functionalism developed by Harold Garfinkel (1967). Garfinkel believed that the only way to understand a norm was to break it and watch what people did to re-establish social order. 13

Discussion Question 1.Think of a time when you went to a new environment (such as off to college) and you didn’t know how you were expected to act or what you should do. How did you figure out what you should do to fit into the group? 14

Culture Change causes of cultural change - changes in the societal conditions –cultural diffusion –innovation –imposition by an outside agency or source 16

Culture Lag Sometimes cultures adjust slowly to changing cultural conditions, resulting in culture lag. –Rapid technological change is often accompanied by some aspects of culture “lagging” behind and/or resisting potential changes. 17

Dominant Culture: –Is the culture of the most powerful group in a society. This is not determined by the size of the group but rather the power that the group has in determining the culture’s framework. 18 Dominant Culture

Subcultures Definition: –Cultures whose values and norms differ to some degree from those of the dominant culture. 19

Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is the habit of only seeing things from the point of view of one’s own group. 20

Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism is the idea that something can be understood and judged only in relationship to the cultural context in which it appears. 21

Video: “sex and the city” “the sopranos” “south park” “jersey girls” Islamic terrorists in movies 24

Television & Discrimination Television and even popular magazines define our standards of: –beauty –age and ageism –race –gender –morality –Religion 25

Discussion Topic Think about your favorite TV show and how the values and standards of such characteristics as beauty, strength, age, homosexuality, etc. are portrayed on the show. Look for differences in the way gender, race, wealth, jobs, leisure, and religion are portrayed. 26

The Reflection Hypothesis –The reflection hypothesis contends that the mass media reflects the values of the general population. 27

Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and the Media 1.How do functionalists, conflict theorists, and symbolic interactionists view culture? 2.How do they view mass media? 28

Functionalism Culture…. Integrates people into groups Provides coherence and stability in society Creates norms and values that integrate people in society Conflict Theory Culture… Serves the interests in powerful groups Can be a source of political resistance Is increasingly controlled by economic monopolies 29

Valentine’s Day 2008 VALENTINE'S SPENDING 60% of consumers planning to cerebrate Valentine’s Day this year Men $ Women $84.72 $79.99 on spouse/significant others; $5.75 on friends; $4.05 on children's classmates and teachers; $3.02 on coworkers 56.8% - will purchase a valentine’s day card 48.2% - who plan to celebrate with a night out 48% - who will buy candy 35.9% - who will purchase flowers 17.2% - who will buy a gift for their pet (for a total of #367 million) 12.3% - who will give a gift card 11.8% - who will purchase clothing (Source: National Retail Federation 2008 Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey conducted by BIGresearch)

Symbolic Interactionism focuses on: how social interaction produces and changes culture and cultural behavior. How people create culture (ex. the meaning of tattoos, stickers, fashion) 32