SOCI 1002 Lecture Notes - Liberal Democracy, Civil Society, Conflict Theories
Document Summary
Civil society: mass media, political parties, lobby groups, social movements, and public opinion. Yet, our environments influence us - we are the product of the interaction between ourselves, others and the environments we inhabit. Ideas of how we see the world come from others as well. We"ve talked about the social and its enabling and constraining influence: mass media is one of them. Background music in supermarkets nothing is left to chance. Mass media tied to identity- as consumers we wear certain clothes, practice certain activities, listen to certain music, watch particular programs, use specific technologies that form part of our identities. Unlike traditional tribes from distant land, these consumer-oriented neo-tribes" have no councils of elders or boards or admission committees to decide who has the right to be in and who ought to be kept out. They employ no gatekeepers and no border guards.