Societies to Social Networks Chapter 5

1. Societies to Social NetworksChapter 5

2. SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION • Groups- people who interact with one another and who think of themselves as belonging with each other • Society- largest group • Consists of people that share a culture and/or territory • Sets stage for life experiences, influences behavior, how we see the world • Set boundaries for our lives • Technology creates changes in society through time • As society changes so does nature and types of groups

3. SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION • Hunting and Gathering Societies • Fewest social divisions • Basic social division is by sex, few other social divisions • Groups have a shaman that can influence spiritual forces • Major unit of organization is the family • Most group members are related by ancestry or marriage • Family distributes food, educates children, nurses sick, provides virtually all needs • Societies are small • Groups are nomadic • Place a high value on sharing food • Egalitarian society • They have few material possessions • No rulers, decision is reached by consensus • Most leisure of all groups

4. SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION • Pastoral and Horticultural Societies • 10,000 years ago groups found they could tame, breed animals and cultivate plants • Developed permanent villages, organized by clans • Domestication of plants and animals first social revolution • Dependable food supply created changes • Division of labor- specialized jobs and created a surplus of objects and this stimulated trade • Set stage for social inequality • Led to feuds, war and slavery • Wealth and power grew more concentrated • Individuals became leaders of groups (chiefs) • More possessions led to lesser equality • Where people located within society determined what happened to them in life

6. SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION • Agricultural Societies • Invention of the plow made land more productive, created food surplus, called agricultural revolution • Development of cities, culture (art, literature, music) • Inequality became fundamental feature of society • Some gained control over resources, to protect power they developed armies, levied taxes • Conflict theory- concentration of power and resources, oppression of people led to rise of modern state • Females became subject to males (men were farmers, took care of livestock left women subsidiary tasks) when metal became attached to plows

7. SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION • Industrial Societies • 1700’s invention of steam engine led to Industrial Revolution • Human and animal power replaced by machines • Social inequality grew greater • Surplus was greater, huge effect on social life • Industrialists gained control of means of production (land, labor, capital) • Inequality reversed as time went on, now industrial societies enjoy a high standard of living and greater equality

8. SOCIETIES AND THEIR TRANSFORMATION • Postindustrial (Information) Society • Fourth social revolution- Societal transformation based on microchip technology • Basic component is information and specialized knowledge • Individuals don’t produce anything, just use information to provide services others are willing to pay for • New technology allows us to work at home, changes communication and consumer patterns

9. Groups within Society • In 1933 Emile Durkheim concluded to prevent sense of not fitting (anomie) in we needed to belong to small groups • Groups act as a buffer between individual and society, give meaning and sense of purpose • Two terms often confused with groups- aggregate and category • Aggregate consists of individuals that share same physical space, but do not see themselves as belonging together • Category- statistic, people with similar characteristics

10. Groups within Society • Primary Groups- give basic orientation to life • Develop early in life • Family our first primary group • Provide intimate face to face relationships • Give us identity • Essential to our well being • Meets a basic human need • Values and attitudes become part of our identity • Difficult to separate self from primary group

11. Groups Within Society • Secondary Groups- larger and more anonymous • Formed with a specific goal and roles are interchangeable • Based on common interest, more impersonal • Members interact based on specific status • Fail to satisfy need for association, consequently they break down into primary groups • Primary groups serve as a buffer between us and demands secondary groups pale on us

12. Groups Within Society • In-groups are groups we feel loyalty to • Out- groups group toward which one feels antagonism • Identification with group gives sense of belonging, loyalty • Membership produces rivalries • Consequences • Membership can produce discrimination and hatred • Identification with in-groups basis for racial, ethnic division • View traits of in-group as virtues, same attributes in out-group seen as vices • Divides world into we and they • Natural part of social life

13. Groups Within Society • Reference Groups • Groups we use as standards to evaluate ourselves • Can be family, classmates, co-workers • Exert influence over our lives by providing a yard stick • Operate as a form of social control, give us frame of reference for our achievements • We want our behavior to measure up to the groups standards, can lead to inner turmoil if they do not match

14. Social Diversity :Race, Class and Gender • Social diversity influences group contact, can perpetuate social inequality • Large groups turn inward -only have contact among themselves • Social diversity can promote separatism • Heterogeneous groups turn outward- internally diverse groups are more likely to interact with outsiders • Physical boundaries create social boundaries- less likely to interact with other people

15. Social Networks • Large groups break down into cliques (internal factions within groups that interact with each other) • Form social networks (social ties radiating outward from self that link people together) • Technology has created a new type of group electronic community where members communicate about any topic • Nature of interest give them feelings of belonging together, possibly can have an equalizing effect on groups • Young, well educated, live in large cities have larger social networks • Men include more business contacts in their networks • Women include more family members in their social networks

16. Group Dynamics • Group dynamics refer to interaction within groups, how they influence us and how we affect groups • Small groups- few members, interaction with all other members, can be primary or secondary • Group size • Dyad- smallest, two people • Most intense form of group interaction, if one member decides not to participate, group collapses • Triad- three people, addition of third person alters group • Interaction between first two decreases and can create strain • Stronger and more stable than dyads • Tend to form coalitions that can cause instability • One member also can become mediator during disputes

17. Group Dynamics • As small groups become larger they become more stable but intimacy, intensity decrease • As they grow they develop more formal structure, leaders emerge and specialized roles develop, helps group survive over time • Group size diffuses responsibility • Speech and action becomes more formal • Breaks down into smaller groups for more effective communication

18. Group Dynamics • Leadership • Leaders are people who influence the behaviors, opinions or attitudes of others • Perceived by group members as strongly representing their values or as able to lead group out of crisis • Leaders tend to be more talkative, express determination and self confidence • Taller, better looking people often become leaders • Types of leaders • Instrumental- keeps group moving toward their goal • Expressive- increases harmony, minimizes conflict (harder to identify) • Difficult for person to be both

19. Group Dynamics • Leadership styles- three basic types • Democratic-leads by consensus • Authoritarian- leads by giving orders • Laissez- faire- leads by being highly permissive • Different situations require different types of leadership • Peer pressure, and the pressure of authority are ways groups influence our individual lives (Asch and Milgram Experiments)

20. Group Dynamics • Power of authority and peers can lead to groupthink • Collective tunnel vision that group members develop • There is only one right way and any different point of view in seen as disloyal • Groups surround themselves with an inner circle that reflects their own views, leaders cut off from information that does not support their opinions • To avoid groupthink they need to allow diverse opinions

21. Types of Formal Organizations • Utilitarian Organizations- pays people for their efforts, most people have to join one to make a living • Normative organizations- pursue a goal that they think is worthwhile (community service, political party) • Coercive groups- membership is involuntary, has special physical features to separate people from society • Some can be all three for example a mental hospital coercive for a patient, utilitarian for a staff member and normative for a hospital volunteer

22. Bureaucracy • Organization designed to perform a task efficiently • Developed during the industrial age Six key elements • Specialization- assigns individuals highly specialized jobs • Hierarchy of offices- few at the top, many at the bottom • Rules and regulations- guide operation • Technical competence- set standards for job performance • Impersonality- put rules ahead of personnel • Formal written communications- heart of organization is paperwork not people • Typically individuals create informal networks of communication to spread information quickly “grapevine”

23. Problems of Bureaucracy • Alienation- does not respond to personal need of workers • Inefficiency and ritualism- focus on rules and regulations to the point of undermining goals (red tape) • Inertia- tendency to perpetuate themselves (creates busy work to justify existence)

24. Changing Nature of Work • Work is opening up to more women that leads to companies striving to be more flexible and democratic • Technology (email) have led to less formal communication structures • Postindustrial society is information based and has caused other changes in nature of work organization • Creative autonomy- workers given creative freedom • Competitive work teams reduce alienation • Flatter organization- spreads responsibility with fewer levels in chain of command • Greater flexibility- respond quickly to changes

25. “McDonaldization” of Society • Organizational principles of McDonalds have spread across society • “Big Box” stores, 10 minute oil changes, etc. • Large impersonal organizations • Three Organizational principles • Efficiency- done quickly equals good • Uniformity- designed to be mass produced, leaves nothing to chance • Control- automated equipment, makes job as simple as possible, little room for employee error • System can be efficient but dehumanizing