Why We Selfie -- the Sociological Perspective

Why We Selfie the Sociological Perspective In March  2014,  Pew Research Center  announced that  over a quarter of Americans have shared a selfie online. Unsurprisingly, the practice of photographing oneself and sharing that image via social media  is most common among Millennials, aged 18 to 33 at the time of the survey: more than one in two has shared  a selfie. So have nearly a quarter of those classified as Generation X (loosely defined as those born between 1960 and the early 1980s). The selfie has gone mainstream. Evidence of its mainstream nature is seen in other aspects of our culture too. In 2013 selfie was not only added to the Oxford English Dictionary  but  also  named Word of the Year. Since late January  2014, the music video for #Selfie by The Chainsmokers has been viewed on YouTube over 250 million times. Though recently canceled, a network television show focused on a fame-seeking and image conscious woman  titled Selfie debuted in the fall of 2014. And, the reigning queen of the selfie, Kim Kardashian West, debuted in 2015  a collection of selfies in book form,  Selfish. Yet, despite the ubiquity of the practice and how many of us are doing it (1 in 4 Americans!), a pretense of taboo and disdain surrounds it. An  assumption that sharing selfies is or should be embarrassing runs throughout  the  journalistic and scholarly coverage on the topic. Many  report on the practice  by noting the percentage of those who admit to sharing them. Descriptors like vain and narcissistic inevitably become a part of any conversation about selfies. Qualifiers like special occasion,  beautiful location, and ironic are used to justify them. But, over a quarter of all Americans are doing it, and more than half of those between the ages of 18 and 33 do it. Why? Commonly cited  reasons vanity, narcissism, fame-seeking are as shallow as those who critique the practice suggest it is. From  the sociological perspective,  there is always more to a mainstream cultural practice than meets the eye.  Lets use it  to dig deeper into the question of why we selfie. Technology Compels Us Simply put, physical and digital technology makes it possible, so we do it. The idea that technology structures the social world and our lives is a sociological argument as old as Marx, and one oft repeated by theorists and researchers who have tracked the evolution of communication technologies over time. The selfie is not a new form of expression. Artists have created self-portraits for millennia,  from cave to classical paintings, to early photography and modern art. Whats new about todays selfie  is its commonplace nature  and  its ubiquity. Technological advancement  liberated the self-portrait  from  the art world and gave  it to the masses. Some would say that those  physical and digital technologies  that allow  for the selfie act  upon us  as a form of technological rationality, a term coined by critical theorist Herbert Marcuse in his book  One-Dimensional Man. They exert a rationality of their own which shapes how we live our lives.  Digital photography, front-facing cameras, social media platforms, and wireless communications begat a host of expectations and norms which now infuse our culture. We can, and so we do. But also, we do because both the technology and our culture expect  us to. Identity Work Has Gone Digital We are not isolated beings living strictly individual lives.  We are social beings who  live in societies, and as such, our lives are fundamentally shaped by social relations with other people, institutions, and social structures. As photos meant to be shared, selfies are not individual acts; they are social acts. Selfies, and our presence on social media generally, is a part of what sociologists David Snow and Leon Anderson describe as identity work the work that we do on a daily basis to ensure that we are seen by others as we wish to be seen. Far from a strictly innate or internal process, the crafting and expressing of identity has long been understood by sociologists as a social process. The selfies we take and share are designed to present a particular image of us, and thus, to shape the impression of us held by others. Famed sociologist Erving Goffman  described the process of impression management in his book  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. This term refers to the idea that we have a notion of  what others expect of us, or what others would consider a good impression of us, and that this shapes how we present ourselves. Early American sociologist Charles Horton Cooley described the process of crafting a self based on what we imagine others will think of us as the looking-glass self, whereby society acts as a sort of mirror to which we hold ourselves up. In the  digital age, our lives are increasingly projected onto, framed by, and  filtered  and lived through social media. It makes sense, then, that identity work takes place in this sphere. We engage in identity work as we walk through our neighborhoods, schools, and places of employment. We do it in how we dress and style ourselves; in how we walk, talk, and carry our bodies.  We do it on the phone and  in written form. And now, we do it in email, via text message, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and LinkedIn. A self-portrait is the most obvious visual form of identity work, and its socially mediated form, the selfie, is now a common, perhaps even necessary form of that work. The Meme Compels Us In his book, The Selfish Gene,  evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins offered a definition of the meme that became deeply important to cultural studies, media studies, and sociology. Dawkins described the meme as a cultural object or entity that encourages its own replication. It can take musical form, be seen in styles of dance,  and manifest as fashion trends and art, among many other things. Memes abound on the internet today, often humorous in tone, but with increasing presence, and thus  importance, as a form of communication. In the pictorial forms that fill our Facebook and Twitter feeds, memes pack a powerful communicative punch with a combination of repetitious  imagery and phrases. They are densely laden with symbolic meaning. As such, they compel their replication;  for, if they were meaningless, if they had no cultural currency, they would never become a meme. In this sense, the selfie is very much a meme. It has become a normative thing that we do that results in a patterned and repetitious way  of representing ourselves. The exact style of representation may vary (sexy, sulky, serious, silly, ironic, drunk, epic,  etc.), but the form and general content an image of a person or group of people who fill the frame,  taken at arms length remain  the same. The cultural constructs that we have collectively created shape how we live our lives, how we express ourselves, and who we are to others. The selfie, as a meme, is a cultural construct and a form of communication now  deeply infused into our daily lives  and loaded with meaning and social significance.

Describe the Assessment Form Dr Agile Webside Essay

Describe the Assessment Form Dr Agile Webside - Essay Example Agile assessment. This is an interpretation of the Dr. Agile test results and questionnaire, which explain the relevance of the results in context According to the results of the Dr. Agile analysis, in the practice of ‘Managing Requirements Using a Backlog’, the team was rated â€Å"Not Suitable† by 28% in the field of ‘Welcoming constant change’ and â€Å"Partially Suitable† by 60% in the areas of ‘Importance of Prioritizing’ and ‘Realizing the Evolutionary Nature of Software Development’ (Dr. Agile, 2010). These results indicate that the team needs additional work in adjusting to changing circumstances and acclimating themselves to the field of software development and technology. The rapidly expanding technological market brings constant changes to the work environment and employees within this field must be able to adjust to the daily changes that may occur so they will be better able to service their customers. In the remaining field of ‘Management Buy-in’, the team was rated as â€Å"Largely Suitable† by 73% (Dr. Agile, 2010). ... Agile, 2010). These indications mean that the team requires work in these areas before they can successfully adopt these practices into their work scheme. The characteristic of ‘Handling Stress’ was rated as â€Å"Largely Suitable† by a margin of 61% and ‘Buy-in of the Development Team’ was rated â€Å"Largely Suitable† by 83% (Dr. Agile, 2010). The â€Å"Group Estimation† practice achieved a 28%rating of â€Å"Not Suitable† in the characteristic of ‘Multi-Disciplined Team Members’ and the practice of â€Å"Self-Organized Teams† received the same rating for the same characteristic (Dr. Agile, 2010). This reveals the necessity for strong supportive training in the area of working collectively to achieve a goal and independent decision-making. In the practice of â€Å"Group Estimations†, the team was rated â€Å"Largely Suitable† by 73% in the characteristic of ‘Management Buy-in’ and à ¢â‚¬Å"Fully Suitable† by 93% in the characteristics of ‘Trust between Management and Team Members’ and ‘Developer’s Buy-in’ (Dr. Agile, 2010). They also earned the â€Å"Fully Suitable† by 93% rating in the characteristic of ‘Developer’s Buy-in’ within the practice of â€Å"Daily Standup Meeting† and ‘Management Buy-in’ and ‘Trust between Management and Team Members’ within the practice of â€Å"Self-Organized Teams† (Dr. Agile, 2010). The characteristics of ‘Management Buy-in’ in the practice of â€Å"Daily Standup Meeting† and ‘Developer’s Buy-in’ in the practice of â€Å"Self-Organized Teams† both received the rating of â€Å"Largely Suitable† by 83% (Dr. Agile, 2010). Overall, the ratings demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of the team as a whole and demonstrate which areas need

Benefits of Opening a Franchise Hospice Facility vs. Non-Franchise Research Proposal

Benefits of Opening a Franchise Hospice Facility vs. Non-Franchise - Research Proposal Example Indeed, the fact that there are two schools of thought means that in each case, there are associated benefits and corresponding demerits. To ordinary citizens and particularly the ageing, their concern will continue to be for them to receive the very best of healthcare service from hospice facility operators. It is important to state however that in the midst of managerial and organizational challenges resulting from the wrong choice of a mode of operating a hospice, an investor or entrepreneur may be underpinned with poor service delivery to customers over a very long period of time (Muhammad, 2009). This brings out the need for individual entrepreneurs to carefully assess the weights behind each of the forms of having hospice facility in place before deciding on one of the choices. This research work therefore seeks to identify the benefits of opening a franchise hospice facility as against non-franchise so that entrepreneurs will be well informed in their selection decisions, basi ng their decisions on factors that best suit their immediate premises. 1.2 Research Aim This research work will be embarked to identify the benefits of opening a franchise hospice facility as against non-franchise hospice facility. To achieve this overall aim, there should be some specific objectives that should be achieved first. The over all achievement of the specific objectives would constitute the achievement of the research aim. 1.21 Specific Objectives 1. To identify the various options for owning a hospice facility that are at the disposal of an entrepreneur. 2. To assess the various ways in which franchise hospice facility would be advantageous or disadvantageous to an entrepreneur 3. To assess the various ways in which non-franchise hospice facility would be advantageous or disadvantageous to an entrepreneur 4. To find various factors that should be considered in the opening of the hospice care facility 5. To come out with recommendations on the method of opening of the bu siness 1.3 Significance of the Study Successful completion of the research work shall be of immense benefit to several groups of persons. Some of the specific benefits include: 1. Entrepreneurs will be well informed on the right method of opening a hospice care facility that would best suit their needs. 2. As entrepreneurs make the right selection regarding the method of opening hospice care facility, they are sure to have formidable corporate and institutional financial base with which to expect profits (Muhammad, 2009). 3. A profit making hospice is likely to be a well managed and well equipped hospice care facility that would address the health needs of the populace, especially the ageing. 1.4 Research Questions The researcher puts forward the following research questions to serve as guidelines for the conduct of the research; especially in secondary data collection where data shall be sought from existing literature. The questions are: 1. What are the various methods of starting hospice care facility? 2. How does each of the methods of starting hospice care facility serve as an advantage or disadvantage to the entrepreneur? 3. What factors should inform individual entrepreneur’s decision on the selection of franchise hospice

Organizational Needs Essay Example for Free

Organizational Needs Essay The success of any business or any organization basically depends on proper planning and proper utilization of its resources. It is true that success dose not comes overnight, a need for assessing; exploring is required to be done. After planning, there comes the step of communication. The quality of communication determines the extent of the success of a business. In order to make communication effective career development programs are introduced to the employee by the organization. The basic aim of this kind of career development program is to make an individual employee give in his best to the company thus, maximizing profits. Although these programs were not really liked by some of the organizations. And were regarded as cost oriented, but with times as the result was good, people recognized its importance. â€Å"A needs assessment is a systematic exploration of the way things are and the way they should be†. As Gutteridge says that career development is not only the development of an individual but also the development of the management as a whole. It is equally essential, to know what learning will be accomplished, what changes in an individual’s performance are expected, what are the expected economic costs what will be the result, and after how much time will the target be achieved. Main Aim of Organizations As we know that the main aim of any origination or any business done is to get maximum profits. It is the same way in order to achieve the target. A lot of hard work has to be done, like conduction of career development programs. Knowdell (1982 – 1984) traced the origin of career developmental programs. This would of course enhance their abilities of the employees as we know that â€Å"a career development system with in a business is an organized formalized, planned effort to achieve a balance between the individuals. † With the help of these career program employees and managers know about their potentials and weaknesses, they come to know how to manage their own careers and this way feel more confident and responsible about themselves. A career developmental program should be based on: Check Actual Performance The very first step should be to check and analyze the present abilities of the employees and of course the current satiation of the organization in which it is running. After the analyses of the current situation have been made we could them go on to focus on our desired goal. By the help of the information gained on the abilities and on the capabilities of the employees we could by the help of counselors could guide an individual employee, on what particular part. He basically has got to focus. This practice may take time but with time slowly and gradually every individual employee would to his organization. It is very crucial that one must distinguish the actual needs from the perceived needs. It is true that with proper training, guidance and of course not to forget full cooperation of the employee, the target of maximums profits would be achieved. An individual should work harder on his weak points and should strive to develop his stronger ones. Set Priorities After analyzing an individual or the employee’s strengths and weaknesses we could know what kind of training is needed by an individual. What time, money should be allocated on him. One thing which should be kept in mind is the organizational needs goals and realities. The employee who is under training should set priorities that is, on which area he should work first, as per the need of his organization. If all these matter would be taken into consideration then without any doubt he would develop himself his abilities, his sense of responsibility, knowledge, skill and would accomplish his goals. Identify Problem Areas In this step we would identify those areas in which working have got to be done. After the problem is identified specific solution has to be applied. This will of course require detailed investigation and analysis. Identify Appropriate Solutions In this last step after solution have been applied to the specific problems, still as it is there is more room for improvement. It is important to move people into new direct to explore more and to improve. There are specific research centers like â€Å"the society’s career development program provides awards intended to meet the specific needs of investigators at different states in their research careers†. Thus, a lot of encouragement is given to all those people under training, so as to encourage them get good results. Essential Components The oxford English dictionary says One’s careers are one’s course or progress through life. This basically means that as an individual keeps on progressing and making himself better, through gaining more knowledge and information he keeps on improving with time and practice to improve there are self development tools. Self Assessment Know body know you as well as you know yourself. So as it is that the person under training should assess himself that what kind of training he should take or what kind of training would help to make his career develop and prosper. He should take care of his weak points and should develop his strengths. It is very curtail that counseling should be done by an expert advisor to the trainee. This way the trainee would be sure as to which way he has to go. There are also internal labor marketing and many more components. Pro and Cons There are advantages as well as certain disadvantages of getting into career programming. The good points are that after a certain period of time with a lot of hard work and labor the organization would gain good profits. There are certain disadvantages as well like it is very. Time consuming; it involves a lot of time, labor and money which would otherwise be spent elsewhere in the company. Conclusion There is a well enough connection between the organizational development and career development. As we know that a lot of individuals make is going to go under training gains knowledge develop his skill and abilities. Eventually he would perform well in that organization and because of him the company would make a lot of profits there he would certainly be rewarded. Thus his way he would also develop his career and this would certainly be a good start in his life. Reference http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=11618

Youth Sports - Little Girls Need Sports! Essay example -- Argumentativ

Little Girls Need Sports! You may have seen the ad on television. It is one of the few advertisements using the voices of little girls that isn't promoting unrealistically figured Barbie dolls or the likes. The ad starts with a 10-year-old girl in a swing set and presents a series of images of different young girls saying: If you let me play sports I will like myself more; I will have more self-confidence, If you let me play sports. If you let me play, I will be 60 percent less likely to get breast cancer; I will suffer less depression. If you let me play sports, I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me. If you let me play, I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to. I will learn what it means to be strong. If you let me play sports. If you let me play sports. Although the product being sold is never mentioned, the ad, which was produced by Nike, in just 45 seconds delivers one of the most powerful and thought-provoking messages on T.V. about the benefits gained by girls who play sports. Women in sports is an issue that has dated back for many years. The breakthrough for women was in 1972 when Title IX, an amendment to the 1965 Civil Rights Act, was passed. It was designed to address sex discrimination in all areas of education, including athletics. Although Title IX was implemented many years ago, women and girls are still fighting for the right to play despite much evidence that sports make our girls stronger women and teach them to avoid a whole host of risk-taking and self-destructive behaviors. Research from the Women's Sports Foundation show female athletes have lower rates of teenage pregnancy, are more likely to delay their first sexual experience, and have, on ave... ...tiveness, and teamwork, skills that everyone will need in life. Girls learn that you're going to fail sometimes, but they also learn perseverance and that failure is not permanent. The Nike ad drew much attention to the female need. It helps to draw a picture in the minds of educators and parents that preventing girls from participating in sports hinders their emotional and physical growth. Sports can make girls strong and not afraid to be vocal; they can teach girls how to succeed and how to cope with failure. They can help girls to know their own physical and mental strength and build confidence and self esteem. So when a girl asks if she can play, instead of telling her no, let her play. Work Cited Goff, Karen Goldberg. "Playing For Keeps; Youth sports credited with imparting lifelong benefits." The Washington Times. 10 November 2002. 19 April 2003.

“Cousin Kate” by Christina Rossetti Essay

The Four texts that will be witnessed throughout the essay are : Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti, Porphyria’s lover by Robert Browning, To his Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvel and Romeo Juliet by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet is about two lovers – who adore each other so much, similarily Porphyria’s lover is about a man who loves Porphria so much, which leads on to him killing her. Then, To his Coy Mistress was when the narrator slept with the lady and had sex, similarily Cousin Kate was similar as the narrator had sex with one person then betrayed her for someone else for the money. In Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Julliet. Romeo looks to be very (Obsessed) with Rosaline. Rosaline is the girl that Romeo fell in love with very deeply. Montague describes how deeply and Distraught Romeo is feeling to the fact that Rosaline does not love Romeo back. He doesn’t want to show his family and friends what is happening but he keeps on sobbing. a poem about a young girl who ge Also In Act 1 Scene 1 Teenage Love is shown between Romeo and Rosaline. He expresses a very deep action in the depth of love like a Teenager. Romeo, we find out, has been moping around in a â€Å"grove of sycamore,† which, by the way, is Shakespeare’s way of hinting that Romeo is love sick or â€Å"sick amour†. This shows a lovesick teenager. Romeo wanders in and willingly tells Benvolio that he’s in love with a girl who doesn’t love him back. He is embarrassed and scared to tell just like a teenager. Furthermore, In Act 1 Scene 5 – Romeo changes dramatically, when he meets Juliet and his love with Rosaline had all vanished. He says that he has never seen a ‘True Beauty’ till this night – like Juliet. This shows that he was not in love with Rosaline and tells that he is a very unloyal love with people. Juliet had sparked Romeo’s eye very deeply and had attached on Romeo’s heart. Although, the infatuation in Act1 Scene1 was very deep into the love with Rosaline. This shows the love of young teenager who doesn’t know what a true love is and can get easily captured by a lot of love relationships. This in teenagers perspective is very true and a very common thing that happens in teenage love. Romeo is a very fickle teenager when it comes to Love. Romeo is a very fickle character because one he is love with one person which was Rosaline then changes his love to Juliet. The quote that shows is ‘I’ve never seen a true beauty till this night’. This shows how a different person he can get in matter of time. This also links with his teenage love attitude. Moreover, In act1 Scene 5 – Romeo and Juliet when they first meet is very strong and eye catchyFrom across the room, Romeo sees Juliet, and asks a servingman who she is. The servingman does not know. Romeo is transfixed; Rosaline vanishes from his mind and he declares that he has never been in love until this moment. Moving through the crowd, Tybalt hears and recognizes Romeo’s voice Then Romeo touches Juliet’s hand.

Mental Illness and Incarceration - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 843 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2018/12/27 Category Health Essay Type Research paper Level High school Topics: Mental Health Essay Did you like this example? This research paper will discover the mental illness, incarceration and the nature of the prisons in the United States. Mentally ill people are so many in the prisons and their numbers increases substantially. Currently, mentally ill people are crowded behind bars compared to in the mental hospitals. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Mental Illness and Incarceration" essay for you Create order When criminals go to prison, they are usually mentally fit, but when their incarceration periods end, they develop the illness (Schizophrenic). This is due to the difficulty in adapting to the correctional system and the confinement. Schizophrenia causes the in ability to process thoughts and even emotion and makes the victim to act in a manner that is not appropriate. Those imprisoned when mentally ill, their conditions of living inside the prison worsens their situations. This is an important topic to research on because it will find out how the people who are mentally ill are over presented to the system of justice. I should therefore be allowed to pursue this research to understand the psychological effects of the solitary confinement and the crisis caused by high incarceration rates as well as the long prison sentences. In order to understand the effect of crime and mental illness, it is crucial to first now the nature of the lives in the prison. The rooms are small with improper hygiene. Staff is very minimal and of limited time. Also, with the other criminals, conversations are limited. Therefore, more time is spent in isolation. This isolation affects the mental illness and makes the offender dangerous. As mentioned earlier in the text, Torrey, et al, (2010), stated that, many mentally ill individuals are in prison than in the mental hospitals. Some of them obtain the illness from there. There may be an association between a criminal behavior and an illness, and this gives a better explanation on the reason why individuals indulge in criminal activities while others do not. Alternatively, the people suffering from a serious mental illness are overly presented and funneled disproportionally through the channels of the justice system of the criminals and end up in prison (Hartney, 2006). This research topic is important as it gives enlightenment on the impact of the prison arts workshop. Despite certain costs, some things should be offered in the prisons. The offenders who are mentally ill need special housing (Sigurdson, 2000). The purpose of the prisons is to punish unlike the treatment of the mental health facilities. However, in spite this; some correctional systems are trying this even without the required funding. Sigurdson (2000) further stated that, there are medical boards that give restricted licenses to people to cater for people in the correction units. Formerly, those phycians who are impaired and considered not fit for working in the communities were issued with licenses so as to work in prisons. This really devalues the treatment of the mentally ill in the prisons. I worked with various sources such as paying visits to the prison departments and interviewing the prion wardens and the management in the prison as well. I needed to research also on the feeling the mentally ill offenders get being in the prisons and their say regarding the high rates incarceration. I will look for this information from the mentally ill released prisons. The importance of this proposal is to bring out the idea that many issues arise from the mental illness. This arises especially when they are brought for justice when a crime is committed. So many questions arise about the incarceration of a mentally ill person. The type of punishment to give such a person is also often confusing. I believe that there are certain laws that are put to place for specifically the mentally ill. However, I noticed that there are some people who are convicted and released through the justice system loop holes yet they lack a mental illness. This is because, some offenders claim to have the illness so as to seek forgiveness and evade being locked in the prisons (Brickman, et al, 2011). Personally, I have studied the scenarios explained above in the paper. So many criminals have been locked up and isolated just because of their social behavior. Most of them usually possess some kind of mental illness. In the intensive Management Status, (is a program used to identify the mentally ill people) those that fail to show signs of being mentally ill in it; they develop them prior to their release. Isolation is the best option for making sure that the people capable of causing harm to others do not (Becker, 1977). But is has been exaggerated to generate something that is even worse. The offenders who are mentally ill need to be given the care that will enhance their normal functioning so as to fit in the same environment with the other offenders. Prisons are already negative, even without the additional negativity that is impacted on the criminal by isolating them and incarcerating them at high rates. The viability of this research is to ensure that the prisons and the high incarceration rates are not implemented on the mentally ill, but for the punishment purposes (Boyer, 2000).