Introduction to Sociology

Symbolic Interactionism on Media and Technology

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• 
  Discuss how symbolic interactionists view culture and technology
  

Symbolic interactionism is a sociological perspective that is most concerned with the face-to-face interactions between members of society. Interactionists see culture as being created and maintained by the ways people interact and in how individuals interpret each other’s actions. Proponents of this theory conceptualize human interactions as a continuous process of deriving meaning from both objects in the environment and the actions of others. This is where the term symbolic comes into play. Every object and action has a symbolic meaning, and language serves as a means for people to represent and communicate their interpretations of these meanings to others. Those who believe in symbolic interactionism perceive culture as highly dynamic and fluid, as it is dependent on how meaning is interpreted and how individuals interact when conveying and negotiating these meanings.

TRY IT

22. 
    The Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011 grew to be an international movement. Supporters believe that the economic disparity between the highest economic class and the mid-to-lower economic classes is growing at an exponentially alarming rate. A sociologist who studies that movement by examining the interpersonal relationships between members at Occupy camps would most likely use what theoretical approach?
    
    1. 
       Functionalism
       
    2. 
       Ethnocentrism
       
    3. 
       Conflict theory
       
    4. 
       Symbolic interactionism
       

Check your answers at the end of this document

Symbolic Interactionism and Technology

Technology itself may act as a symbol for many. The kind of computer you own, the kind of car you drive, your ability to afford the latest Apple product—these serve as a social indicator of wealth and status. Neo-Luddites are people who are critical of technology and who see it as symbolizing the coldness and alienation of modern life. (“Neo” means “new,” and you’ll recall from the previous section that there was an earlier Luddite movement from which this name is taken.) But for technophiles, technology symbolizes the potential for a brighter future. For those adopting an ideological middle ground, technology might symbolize status (in the form of a massive flat-screen television) or failure (ownership of a basic old mobile phone with no bells or whistles).