Sociology Now, Census Update

The media perfectly illustrate the dynamic tensions of globalization and multi-

culturalism. On the one hand, media are so complex and diverse that different groups

can engage almost exclusively with “their” media: There are television networks, radio

stations, video games, computer websites, magazines, and newspapers for just about

every single “demographic” imaginable. So, it appears that multiculturalism in the

media is really the fragmentation of media into a plentiful array of demographic

niches.

But, on the other hand, people all over the world are increasingly meeting in com-

puter chat rooms, on Facebook and other global media network sites, on global access

computer gaming sites, in video conferences, and on global telephone connections

(Figure 5.3). The media bring us together across every conceivable boundary and also

at the same timefragment us into discrete subgroups.

The Workplace

We spend about one-third of our lives in the workplace, and we often define ourselves

most essentially by our jobs: If you ask someone “What are you?” he or she will prob-

ably reply “I am an architect” or “I am a factory worker” rather than “I am some-

body’s brother.” In traditional societies, your job was less a symptom of identity

because there were only a few specialized jobs: a religious sage, a tribal chief, and

perhaps a few skilled artisans. Everyone else in the community did everything neces-

sary for survival, from gathering crops to spinning cloth to caring for the children.

In modern societies we receive specialized training, and we have jobs that usu-

ally require us to leave home and family and spend all day in a workplace (although

staying home to take care of the household is often considered a job, too). In many

ways, workplaces are similar to schools: Supervisors assign tasks like teachers, and

there are peer groups (those we interact with all the time), acquaintances, and some-

times enemies. We are expected to behave in a “professional” and “businesslike” fash-

ion, but depending on the social class of the job, what that means varies tremendously.

156 CHAPTER 5SOCIALIZATION

+1000

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<100

<50

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IP Addresses Per Dot

FIGURE 5.3 Internet Distribution around the World

Source:From Ipligence.com, 2007 (ipligence.com/worldmap/).