Journalism 614: Sociological Approaches: Social conflict and structure

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Journalism 614Sociological Approaches Social
conflict and structure
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Sociological Approaches

• Social Control
• Social Norms

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Social Control

• Present in all social systems
• Mechanisms for
• Establishing conformity, consensus, order
• Discouraging/punishing deviance
• Applies pressure on individuals through
• Incentives (rewards for conformity)
• Sanctions (punishments for deviance)

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Social Control ? Opinion

• Public opinion as the outcome
• Opinion may be influenced by messages
• E.g., Current events
• Fear and social control (high alert, global
  warming, duct tape and plastic sheeting)
• Does fear induce acquiescence?

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Opinion ? Social Control

• Public opinion as the causal force
• Opinion as force that shapes mass behavior
• Public opinion as a form of social control
• Ex. Massive support for Bush post 9/11 limits
  citizens ability to speak out.

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Social Norms

• Norm Expected pattern of behavior
• Stereotypes of behavioral expectations
• Shared norms characteristic of all groups
• Norms (positive and negative aspects)
• Maintain order (e.g., stopping at red lights)
• Enforce conformity (e.g., keeping promises)
• Reduce diversity (e.g., clothing trends)

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Enforcing Social Norms

• Social control
• Examples of social control agents
• Parents - prescribed actions
• Peers - peer pressure
• Teachers - enforced expectations
• Religious institutions - moral guidelines
• Mass media - suggested exemplars
• Perceptions of public opinion

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Norms are Situation-specific

• Jumping up and down shrieking
• Yes At a football game
• No In class
• Drinking beer
• Yes At a party
• No In class
• Walking around naked
• Yes In a locker room
• No In class

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Violation of Social Norms

• What about individuals that behave in ways that
  violate social norms?
• Cognitive value
• Attention-seeking
• Ego-enhancement
• Social value
• Sub-group bonding
• Conflict with larger group builds solidarity

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Media Coverage Social Control

• Media convey social control messages
• Depictions of public opinion as social control
  messages
• 1. Public opinion polls
• 2. Sweeping generalizations
• 3. Depictions of social norms
• 4. Penalties for legal violations

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Mass Society Theory

• Social transition from
• Homogeneous communities
• Small, rural, tightly-knit, cohesive, personal
• Gemeinschaft
• To Heterogeneous communities
• Large, urban, chaotic, transient, impersonal
• Gesellschaft

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Concerns about Mass Society

• Breakdown social ties, social order
• Anonymity, isolation, anomie, polarization
• Decline in public responsibility
• Potential for mass manipulation of publics
• Isolation from others increases media power
• Examples of concerns about media?
• Concerns about media manipulation

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Capitalism and Democracy

• Economic norms
• Self-reliance, competition, material acquisition,
  pursuit of profit, private property/ownership
• Free markets as supreme economic guide
• Legitimacy of business institutions
• Political norms
• Representative democracy, free speech, civil
  liberties, limited government, equality
• Constitution as supreme political document
• Legitimacy of political institutions

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Conflict in Beliefs - Media

• Sometimes norms are in conflict
• E.g., Equality and capitalism
• System based on inequity of outcomes
• Equal opportunity, but not necessarily results
• Problems admitting unequal opportunities
• Media can play an important role is setting the
  terms of the conflict, highlighting social
  divisions, and fostering consensus beliefs

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Consensus BeliefsThe American Dream

• Four tenets of the American Dream
• 1. American Dream should be open to all
• 2. Belief in the probability of success
• 3. Success and failure are a function of effort
• 4. Pursuit of material acquisition is a virtue

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Battle Lines of Opinion Conflict

• Divisions within the consensus
• Social class
• Political parties
• Race/ethnicity
• Gender

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Social Class Divisions

• Most Americans think of themselves as middle
  class
• Social class as a concept is relatively taboo
• Public support for income redistribution
• U relationship

Major difference -Hi SES Liberals
vs. Conservatives
SES
Lo Med Hi
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Another Class Division

• Support for Civil Liberties
• Hi SES Greater support for individual liberties
• Lo SES Greater levels of authoritarianism
• This finding may be more a function of education
  than social class
• Research also shows that education contributes to
  more liberal orientations in high SES individuals

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Political Party Divisions

• Democrats
• Liberal positions on social/economic issues
• Support for reducing social and income
  disparities
• Republicans
• Conservative positions on social/economic issues
• Support for free market and law and order

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Racial/Ethnic Divisions

• Americas most salient divide
• Contrasting views on racial equality
• Large differences in support for
• Affirmative action
• Anti-discrimination policies

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Racial/Ethnic Divisions
 
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Gender Divisions

• The Gender Gap
• In the 1980s, political gap between men and
  women widens
• Women more likely to vote Democratic
• Women less supportive of wars
• Women less supportive of capital punishment
• Women more supportive of gun control
• Difference in motivations for participation
• Women more socially-motivated, men more
  economically-motivated