Late-Modern Social Life - Essay Example

Globalization led to the disintegration of capitalist nation spatial order due to increased pressure that expended goods production and consumption scales within the economies of the capitalist (Miller 187). It is evident that major shifting from historical to contemporary ‘networked individualism’ culture is attributed to factors like structural determinants that includes things like contradictions and strains, or occasioned dislocation by war, and change of population. Another factor presented is mechanism and process of social change that includes precipitating mechanisms, political conflict, social movements, entrepreneurial activity, and accommodation. In this factor, it is evident that social change in the current community is due to the increase number of social movements that have given pressures to communities in terms of expansion and embracing new technologies. In addition, entrepreneurial activities have also led to social change because the interaction mechanisms are diversified in accordance to globalization pressures and political conflict in the community (Miller 197). The direction of social change is also another factor and encompasses structural effects, changes, and consequences. Networked individualism is all about the deterioration of place to place connection and has placed favor on person to person connection via mobile phones and other wireless technology advent in contemporary times. As a result, specialization increased in relationships because of their instrumental reasoning of products (Miller 199). ‘Phatic’ communication expresses sociability through maintenance of bonds and or connections (Miller 203) by carrying information to the receiver. Therefore, act as social adhesive by acknowledging other people’s presence through relation maintenance and reinforcement of a sense of communion (Miller 204). Characteristics of late-modern social life are characterized by: (i) Time and space separation; (ii) Disembodying of organizations and social relations; and (iii) social relations reflexive ordering. In this, he explains that in terms of space and time, pre-modern settings of the society connected through place situations. Here, he meant that activities between people were coordinated through living present in the same place and time. In the modern society, large scale activity coordination implied that the actions of people had to be coordinated in accordance to time, but often coordinated people were in different places. This applied the use of modern technology or digital culture through the examination of online sites of auction, eBay. In modern society, abstract systems in place have given people the opportunity for human relations to be rationalized outside face-to-face by performing trust worthy dealings despite of their long distances. eBay, an abstract system, sets the company as an intermediary that ensures legal and fair commercial exchanges present between complete strangers across the globe. In the reflexive ordering issue, social relations have their forms of relationships open for revision in light of self-awareness, increased information, and choice availed to the individual. Awareness of the system of feedback in reflexive ordering for modern societies is important since it affects future exchanges (Miller 188). The crisis of community in the late-modern world is attributed to increased individualism, which has been associated to expanded choices, more imaginative and physical and social mobility, and obligations are less (Miller 189). In respect, the Internet is a new site for articulation of communities and all grouping types. Technologies of communication have taken over as space of community and the myriad ways of group relationships manifested online encompass forums and systems of bulletin board, networking facilities, chat rooms, MMORPGs and online worlds, and circles of blogging among others. Therefore, communities are classified as of relationships, transaction, fantasy, and interest. According to the article, the media circuits perform a role of relationship facilitating (Lingel and Naaman 341) and to others; it is a chance to form collaborations with skilled musicians. In essence, this is platform that gives them the opportunity to maximize on their talent and encourage others to explore their talents. Furthermore, within the gift economies, social interactions place the role of videos as pieces of information. Videos are also related to authenticity issues that augmented relationship between bands and fans (Lingel and Naaman 346). The use of YouTube, digital technologies, is to help individuals to familiarize themselves with how different people around the globe solve their educational problems because they share music, which has information pertaining to their conflicts. The DIY videos are consistent and help individuals learn more on what to do when faced with a difficult situation like cooking a new recipe. Moreover, the digital technologies are sophisticated in terms of high definition and thus, help learners have clear vision and audio aspects that minimizes on contradiction (Lingel and Naaman 347). In this article the theme or issue under scrutiny consumerism ideology by looking at women shoppers who are the dominant discourses that are political and popular. At the same time, these discourses work in upholding particular hegemonic ideologies of how consumers behave and consume within an economy that is of a capitalist system. The main issue under study is the historical construction of consumption and shopping for the female domains and consequent negative perceptions ascribed to women consumers, which continue to inform the popular discourses concerning poor women, women on welfare, and the poor African American women. In all this discussion it is evident that capitalism ideology is taught in terms of considering proper and improper economic behavior. Furthermore, portrayals of women negatively on their welfare as they are justifications that are foil of the women’s consumptive practices. The central question of the article is on consumption curriculum and the negative perpetuations stereotyped on poor women and the African American women. In addition, economic ideologies are also presented in this article (Sandlin et al. 464). As such, historical shopping and consumption is the main focus of the article by giving dominance to the female species. The objective of the study is to understand and conceptualize consumerism in terms of the female domain and give relevance to the modern culture of commercialism. The article looks into identifying ways supporting capitalist, consumerist ideologies, and provides a cultural analysis of how consumption operates as a curriculum text (Sandlin et al. 468). The methodology of the article is that of pedagogy or ethnography performance that puts into use public performance and theater. This is intended to create a reflective awareness with potential that generates positive change in the social system (Sandlin et al. 469). The main argument, therefore, gives emphasis to the culture of consumption and consumerism among poor women and in particular the African Americans. The welfare of women is also given analysis in order to show the existing relationship between variables presented by the female domain that is enthusiastic when it comes to shopping. The ideology presented in this article is that of rational choices of the economy and that places consumption to be natural, therapeutic, and healthy (Sandlin et al. 473). The economic and social factors remain despite the presence of having an increased working population of the women domain due to the continued construction of feminine consumption. Thus, simultaneous ideology is presented and looks into proving economic ubiquity of self interest that gives presupposes on capitalism and through normalizing of most individuals (Sandlin et al. 476). In the presentation of themes or evidence from the article concerning the question under study, it is evident that many of the poor women consume a lot of things yet their financial status does not allow them to spend that much. Therefore, it is a problem that continues to build pressure on the welfare of women in society because of their over indulgence in things that are secondary to their life. Aspects of advertising have been able to lure more and more women to buy products because they are pervasive, interactive, and insidious (Sandlin et al 465). The stories presented on resistance and oppression focus on gender, class intertwine, and race in public relations that are deleterious. The African American woman also uses the promiscuous state of these women by using the welfare system. Here, the stereotype of women perpetuates negative assumptions concerning shopping and consumption of poor women’s behavior. This plays a critical role in the construction of economies. Therefore, the poor African American women are considered to lack self control, materialistic, and gluttonous when it comes to making responsible choices under the budget. The major strengths of the article are that the methodology acquires knowledge from women who are familiar with their patterns of consumption and consumerism. It is also evident that the methodology presents a clear view of the articles objective because it articulates the use of present and modern forms of research methods to present data retrieved or gathered. However, the use of women is a bias gesture that leaves out the opinion and feelings of men in the environment and yet they are part of the spending and or consumerism aspects. The men should be given a chance to express their views and opinions concerning the consumption trends of their women. In addition, I feel that other methodologies could be applied to present the problem in question in a manner that gives consistency and articulation of information obtained. Works Cited Lingel, Jessa and Naaman, Mor. “You should have been there man: Live music, DIY content and online communities”. New Media & Society, Vol. 14, Issue 2, pp. 332-339, 2011. Print. Miller, Vincent. “Social Media and the Problem of Community: Space, Relationships, Networks” pp. 184-206 in Understanding Digital Culture. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. Print. Sandlin, Jennifer., Stearns Jennie, Garlen, Julie, and Burdick, Jake. “Now I Ain’t Sayin’ She a Gold Digger: Wal-Mart Shoppers, Welfare Queens, and Other Gendered Stereotypes of Poor Women in the Big Curriculum of Consumption”. Cultural Studies – Critical Methodologies, Vol. 11, Issue 5, pp. 464-482, 2011. Print. Read More