The Impact of Social Media on Parenting
SOC 2075 - Sociology of the Family
University of Cincinnati
Introduction
Technology seems to be evolving more and more every day. This has
a cause and effect on our everyday lives. One such example is how we
parent our children. Social media plays a role in many aspects of our
life. Parenting is no exception. Social media affects everything from
how some choose to discipline to how others decide what is healthy
for their children. Is social media a good or bad influence on
parenting? The truth is, why can’t it be both?
Family is the building block to health relationships and support
systems. When it comes to family and social media, social media has
limited face to face contact and can distort facts. Some believe that
technology exposes children to things at a younger age and makes it
harder for the parents. (Nadeem, 2020) Technology also further
separates some in the family generation gap. With some older parents
not being technologically savvy, it can cause distance in the family
dynamic.
Where and when did it start? Some say it started May 24, 1844, with
dots and dashes on a telegraph machine. In the late 1990s and early
2000s social media blogs and journals began to become more popular.
(The evolution of social media: How did it begin and where could it
go next?, 2021) But when did it really start affecting the family
dynamic? Family dinners together, quality time together and face-to-
face conversations used to be a standard norm. Now with today's
social media people are having less face-to-face interactions and
becoming more distant from one another. Parenting skills and
discussions can be found in social media as well.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
Comparative Perspectives
Familial Trend
Social media is used around the globe and has just as much influence
in the UK as it does in the US. Parents use social media as a main
source of information. Often this information is not fact checked or
backed but believed by popularity and influence. Another issue is
safety. Around 56% of children between the ages of five and fifteen
use social media and many are enjoying it safely, but others can be
exposed to dangerous and inappropriate situations and people.
(Robertson, 2022)
Social Variables and Disparities
One relevant social variable would be the difference between homes
with one parent and homes with two parents. Different parents have
different rules when it comes to screen time. “Children today average
more hours engaged with media each week than they do engaged with
almost any other activity (between 6 and 9 hours/day).”
(Publications.aap.org, 2023) The amount of time that a child spends
on social media can take away from traditional family bonding time.
Many parents also have their own social media accounts and with
today's digital media many of the things that we see are directed at us
by what we look up in our viewing history. With directed ads many
parents may see an ad about how to discipline their children
differently or what's healthy for them.
Negative Impacts
The key thing with modern families is that they are just that, modern.
Social media can impact how we view and interact in relationships.
Many times, social media can have negative effects on the family and
cause mental health problems for some children. Things such as
dependency and isolation can make it harder for parents to really
know what is going on in their child’s life. This makes it harder to
keep strong familial bonds for some. I am considering the effects of
prolonged exposure to social media. Also, with social media a major
difference between social interaction and in-person interaction is that
online interactions are permanent and often public. (American
Psychological Association, 2023)
Social Institutions
Social media has an impact on education, employment, healthcare and
even politics. Education uses social media for grade school as well as
college. Being able to stay home or not attend certain places with the
help of social media can make it so parents are able to stay home and
take care of their children. Healthcare uses social media for things
such as telehealth. This is yet another system that makes it easier for
parents to stay home or even take care of their children without having
to go in person. Politics has been a thing that has been able to divide
us even more. Dividing not only political parties but dividing families
as well. Without having to be fact checked both sides can say
whatever they want, and people will just believe them. By using social
media platforms politics are now being viewed by a younger
generation than before. This method of receiving information can
bring about strong views and opinions and can either divide families
more or it can bring them closer by helping them realize they have the
same or similar ideals.
Cultures in the United States
Social media is a part of many subcultures and can easily influence
them. With social media not being vetted for facts it can easily
mislead those who view it. In today's society we live in a digital age
and the information we receive can have positive or negative effects.
Where things do tend to differ is in some religions and cultural
aspects. Everyone parents differently and different religions and
cultures tend to stay together and have overall similar views. Social
media would not be such an influence in families that limit their and
their children's screen time. One such example would be that of
devout Amish and closely related subcultures of it like German
Baptists. Overall, social media can have an influence on how parents'
parent their children.
Sociological Analysis
Social media plays a role in many aspects of modern society today. It
can have positive or negative outcomes depending on how and what it
is used for. When looking at social media we can look through three
sociological perspectives. Conflict perspective, functionalism
perspective as well as symbolic interactionism perspective. The truth
is it affects everyone differently and can influence how people parent.
Conflict Perspective
“Conflict theorists believe that a society’s system of material
production has an effect on the rest of culture.” (Lumenlearning,
2023) When it comes to the conflict perspective relating to social
media's influence on parenting there are a lot of parents who are not as
physically active and who share information with one another. With
different religions as well as cultural ideals of what parenting is
supposed to look like not all families believe in using social media to
tell them how they should or should not parent. The struggle to find
resources that are acceptable to today's social norms of parenting
makes social media a quick grab for information. We also must look
at the child's perspective in this though. A child's access to social
media may be limited depending on the families' values and finances.
A family with more social media presence in their life may be more
nontraditional due to its influence as compared to a family with
limited or no social media presence who are not as easily influenced
and remain more traditional.
Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist perspective could explain that social media can help
bridge the gaps between generations by the use of social media.
“Functionalism is a structural theory and posits that the social
institutions and organization of society influence the running of
society and individuals” behaviors.” (Nickerson, 2023) With more
parents using more apps not only for their personal use but also to
keep an eye on what their children are doing, the use of social media
has a strong influence on parenting. Being able to communicate across
multiple platforms and share information benefits everyone from the
individual to groups that share common interests. Social media is
constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs and wants of
individuals as well as society. “Social media sites are capable of bi-
directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and
supports the functionalist vision of society.” (UKEssays, 2018)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Nikki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. described symbolic interactionist perspective
as the meaning we derive from and attribute to the world around us is
a social construction produced by everyday social interaction. (Cole,
2019) How we interpret meaning from our social media interaction
and what value that we assign to it can differ greatly between families.
Social things such as religion, social class, access to social media as
well as culture can all change the value that we give to social media
and parenting. Depending on the level of interaction with social media
the ways that families define themselves can change. A family that
relies heavily on it can be influenced and directed depending on their
willingness to believe what they are viewing. As we view things over
social media that are not always fact checked we gather information
from other sources that we identify with, and this can either solidify
how we define ourselves or leave us questioning.
Value of Sociology
Biases
Everyone has their own way of parenting. Sometimes as our children
grow up so we do too, and we are able to talk to others and share what
we learned with one another. One thing that has had a major impact in
my life is social medias influence. I feel it can be a good tool but if
overused and not used properly it can be detrimental. I have seen
parents post on how they handle situations that I completely disagree
with. An issue is that many times we do not agree with each other and
some blame social media for misleading information. Some parents
are also biased against social media in part because they just do not
understand it. The generational gap can be too much for some.
Theories and Perspectives
How does social media affect traditional family values? What
sociological theories and perspectives can help analyze family trends
and limit the biases and assumptions that are associated with it? These
are questions we must ask when looking into how social media
impacts our values for either good or bad. Using sociological
perspectives to gain a better insight and understanding of families and
social media can help society grow and learn from different views.
Symbolic interaction theory looks at the meaning that people find in
the process of social interaction. Many families today have access to
social media and are in turn influenced by it. A family that typically
has their cell phones out during dinner and considers it normal may be
influenced when having dinner with another family who does not
allow electronic devices while eating dinner. By interacting with one
another and keeping an open mind we can learn from each other and
learn better social practices to help eliminate unfair biases and
assumptions that are associated with social media.
Personal and Professional Lives
We all face problems and difficulties both in our personal life as well
as in our family lives. The values that we learn growing up we tend to
pass on. We also tend to equate our value with those around us that we
see. Social media plays a major role in this. Advertisements,
influencers, news and other social media tend to make us compare
ourselves and drive our wants for what we don’t have. Symbolic
interactionalism teaches us that we learn our perceptions of social
problems in how we interact with others and whose perceptions as
well as beliefs influence our own. (Unknown, 2016) Acceptance and
education in other perspectives can help us be more accepting in our
society, be it in our family or even in our jobs.
Evidence Based Response
In our trials and errors that we go through learning as a parent about
the best way to do our job it always helps to have more information.
Not all information that is posted on social media is positive. Negative
aspects such as false and misleading information can lead many
astray. The good side to this is many parents are using it for posting
more than just their child's accomplishments. Many are sifting through
the mass of information provided and finding answers from other
knowledgeable parents on such things from potty training to picky
eaters.
Mental health is also associated with social media. “Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, long a proponent of mental health awareness, has
issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to
depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.”
(Edwards, E. & Jackson, H., 2023) Some parents limit their child's
access to certain websites as well as limit their screen time. Although
it has its down sides it also has positive uses. Used in moderation and
appropriately it can help children and parents find different
commonalities in each other and find new ways to bond. Personally, I
limit my children’s screen time and have noticed a positive change in
their attitudes, and I have also noticed that they are excited to talk to
me about things they find out online so we can discuss it together.
Being a single parent, it is sometimes hard to have extra time to spend
with my son. He is often on his phone, and we have had to make some
adjustments. We set up times during the day that there is no screen
time allowed and designate times such as dinner as screen free for
both of us. I also noticed that he was having trouble falling asleep at
night, so I decided no screen time within an hour of bedtime. Many
electronics emit blue-light, and it has been shown that it can disrupt
sleep patterns and it can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
(Ruder, 2019) By practicing healthier screen time and in turn social
media habits we can focus on helping our children stay physically and
mentally healthier. Overall healthy social media habits with
everything from Facebook to gaming can be a good thing and can help
families bond in many ways and can have a wide range of effects on
traditional family values.
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