Apply sociological imagination to an object of your choice:
What is sociological imagination?
I will discuss sociological imagination, ‘Sociological imagination’ is in actual fact a term that was created by C wright mills whom was an American sociologist.
The sociological imagination can be perceived in many ways one way is the use routine of imaginative idea to comprehend the relations between constrains of society including our private life as an individual. Also for this theory it focuses on an individual’s problem and public issues. For example unemployment is very stressful and a person can feel a failure in life because of not having a job or when they have lost it, however if we look at this problem in terms of society as a whole, when the percentage is high in unemployment we can say it is because of economic recession. Which is triggered by the mortgage industry. So when we look at the problem not from the person’s perspective but in society as a whole we can see that it is a social issue and not just personal.
The object I will be applying to sociological imagination is phones. I will be discussing some negative and some positive points and also relating it to the sociological imagination and discuss phones more thoroughly and in depth.
History of phones:
Firstly let’s start off with the history of communication before phones (technology) were even invented. Before phones were invented in order to communicate people used letters, these letters would have been sent to the person’s location for example their home address. This was the method in which people had a two way communication. Also some other methods in which people used to communicate before technology was invented was tin cans; this was commonly used around neighbour hoods, as it was an easy way of communicating. The way in which this used to work was that there needed to be two tin cans and a tight string in-between, the string had to be straight this way the communication would have been passed successfully.
Before technology was developed it was very hard in terms of communication to be processes to one another, if there was an important event for example and you would want to tell your friend about it, it would have taken days for your message to be sent across via letters. Whereas in our generation now you are able to send any type of message within seconds.
The first phone to every come out was the Motorola in 1973. This phone that first came out was big and had a huge battery too. In terms of weight it was heavy and the size of it was approximately the size of a home telephone. Also in order to take this phone outside it wasn’t small to put into a pocket it was big whereas now a phone is pocket sized and is easy to use and store whether it’s in your bag or pocket.
Evolution of phones:
Phones of evolved dramatically in terms of size, quality, weight and features. As you can see on the image in the next page the first phone that came out is the Motorola on the very left. Then next to it is the second phone to every come out which is the nokia. Already by looking at the image below we can see the evolution of phones have changed over time. Also it has become more advanced too before people had to meet in person to see each other and speak, whereas now there is an application also known as tango or facetime. These two applications enable you to see your friends/family at your desired location, for example if you are really unwell and cannot make it to an event your friend will be able to show you live what is happening.
Symbolic value:
The symbolic value of phones in this generation is used for various reasons. A person will use their phone to catch up with friends and family, the news, emergency, if you are in a wrong location you can use a map via the internet and guide you to the right location. In today’s generation it has become such a global phenomenon that nearly everyone has a phone from different age groups, races and gender. Since every person has a phone now it has made society very anti-social as I’ve explained below. It has also decreased attention everyone is socialising online more than face to face in society.
Norms and values:
The norms and values for having a phone are common sense. For example when you are at a job interview, in an exam hall, presenting a presentation or in the cinema, you must switch off your phone or put it on silent because this is the norm and value in today’s society.
Perception of using a mobile phone:
The perception of using a mobile phone can be observed from different ways instead of just using it, if we think thoroughly and understand the ideal use of why some people really use a phone can be varied from person to person. For example using a phone could be seen as a good thing and negative thing.
Starting off with the good, people can use their phone to socialize with friend and family, people can use it for internet mainly and help them with their questions also when in an emergency situation they can dial an appropriate service for help.
Also some business people use phones to interact with other businesses and send emails regarding work or important events. Since everything revolves around technology there is more decreased attention to everything.
There are negative reasons also why people can use their phone. The main reason I will be discussing is cyber bullying. This means phones can be considered as a problem or shall we say technology in general. Hackers and bullies target mainly young teenagers to extreme lengths, whether this may be stalking or harassing them. The common response on how teenagers react towards this is suicide.
However this is a controversial topic, also another negative point is that people tend to use phones to communicate more than face to face in person. This has made many people very anti-social and as the generation is growing in terms of new technology. New technology in this generation has been made accessible for everyone to buy. Also it has many benefits once again, it has made lives easier. You are able to send emails from home or whilst on holiday, another example is that it has become faster to communicate via advanced new technology. For instance if we refer back to the history before phones were invented in order to get your message across to someone it took a few days to reply. The reason for this was because sending letters took a few days to be received.
If we thoroughly examine phones and its causes we will see that it can cause health problems and be a hazard in general. According to health researchers they have found out that many phone users have a bad posture and neck cramps due to long hours of being in this situation and using the phone. Also if a phone overheats which is usually caused by excessive usage it can start a fire. Many people have had incidents were they have been sleeping whilst their phone is actually burning. The link beside this text supports my point where many people have slept whilst their phone is melting. Jenna Mullins. (Mon, Jul 28, 2014 11:07 PM ). This Teenager's Cell Phone Caught on Fire and Literally Melted While She Slept on Top of It. Available: http://www.eonline.com/news/563854/this-teenager-s-cell-phone-caught-on-fire-and-literally-melted-while-she-slept-on-top-of-it.
Phones can also be seen as a social activity, many teenagers and kids in this generation meet up in places such as parks and have a competition on who gets the highest score for the game on their phone.
Once again if we thoroughly examine effects of phones, it has new games and new features. In this day and age many kids and people have been getting addicted to games and new features, so in some areas and societies, it can be seen as an addiction.
Conclusion:
C wright Mills theory states that we must not think narrowly about anything instead we need to question and look at the bigger picture. ‘’an individual can understand his own experience and gauge his own fate only by locating himself within his period, that he can know his own chances in life only by becoming aware of those of all individuals in his circumstance’’ (Mills,1959,p.2). Mills is saying that we must be conscious of the occupant that society shows not just the part in society from our own insight.
This theory is the course amongst personal problems including public problems, also mills has explained how people are put into society then how that the society instantaneously distresses the person. It also provides a sight of what is going on in the society, this has a relationship with an individual in society too as we are all part of the society we are somehow affected through factors and events.
Bibliography:
Jenna Mullins. (Mon, Jul 28, 2014 11:07 PM ). This Teenager's Cell Phone Caught on Fire and Literally Melted While She Slept on Top of It. Available: http://www.eonline.com/news/563854/this-teenager-s-cell-phone-caught-on-fire-and-literally-melted-while-she-slept-on-top-of-it.