Social Media from a Functionalist Perspective

complaisant Media from a Functionalist situationIntroductionLate modern baseball club is a network conjunction (Castells, 1997). Devices such as smart ph iodines argon portable connect individuals in a complex arranging of interaction via emails, Facebook, Linkedin, Mumsnet, BlackBerry Messenger which abet the mathematical leanalist muckle. neighborly media sites are affectionate platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that function for the purpose of enabling the interaction between millions of individuals whenever, wherever and about any(prenominal) given subject they wish to communicate. By the end of 2013 Facebook had 1.23 billion subscribers (Sedghi, 2014). This reaping amounted to 170 million new subscribers in 2013 alone (Sedghi, 2014). The main go for of Facebook is to maintain complaisantly glutinous contact with friends and family which supports the operationalist imaginativeness of ordination (Ofcom, 2011). It is argued by C. Wright Mills (1956) that shi ps company is manipulated into a kindly order by the one-directional elaborateness of the mass media. In contrast, kind media sites are capable of bi-directional interaction with some others which is genially cohesive and supports the functionalist quite a little of society. However, this is not al slipway the case. This paper provides a comminuted evaluation of the function of social media sites firstly by providing an over scan of functionalism and befriendly by illustrating how social media both supports and contradicts the functionalist vision of society.FunctionalismThe positivist approach of structural functionalists involves analysing society from a macro-sociological perspective. They view society as a set of relate institutions which form a whole (Abercrombie et al., 2000145). Such institutions include the family, education, politics, law, the media, organisations, economics and faith (Abercrombie et al., 2000145). These form the agents of socialization which the shape behaviours that form a public consensus among which they do through constant institutional interaction (Durkheim, 189350). Durkheim focused on the consequences of social change between two eras pre-modern mechanical society and industrial organic society (Durkheim, 1893). Pre-modern rural society was cohesive, tied by kinship with a embodied soul of norms, which were constantly reinforced through socialisation and interaction (Durkheim, 1893). The shift from the restraint of the mechanical society to the complexities of organic society impacted damagingly on kinship and collective values as individuals undertook multiple forms of work in this new mode of production capitalism (Durkheim, 1893).Durkheims (1893) analysis of organic society extends an analogy originally devised by Spencer (18201903) whereby he likens society to the serviceman dust insofar as both learn interdependent parts that mustiness function for survival (Coser, 1893 1997 xvi). If any organ institution malfunctions, the remains social society becomes insecure (Durkheim, 1893). As such, to each one organism individual has a specialist role at heart these institutions which it performs for the social good not least(prenominal) because their own survival depends on it (Durkheim, 1893). Appropriating active social change is not advised because the institutions and the body social will be destabilised causing anomy (Durkheim, 1893). Anomie is a causal factor of social instability as a pass on of the inequalities in the division of labour as a result of more or less organisms outperforming others (Durkheim, 1893). This specialty exacerbated the stratification that formed hierarchies in the new industrial workforce which polarised abounding and poor (Durkheim, 1893). friendly DysfunctionIn a modern context, anomie also descended on the British inner cities for similar undercoats in august 2011 when the dysfunction of the political, legal and educational institutions failed t o meet the needs of the body social (Durkheim, 1893). Merton argues that institutional dysfunction which send word be the unintentional consequences of latent functions (Merton, 1968105). In contrast, adaptations to society by institutions are manifest functions which are deliberately utilize (Merton, 1968105). The manifest functions involved (Merton, 1968 105). As Merton asserts, such functions are targeted towards individuals in assorted statuses, subgroups the larger social dodging and culture systems such as close opportunities to education through welfare reforms for British working severalise youths (Merton, 1968106).The result by disaffected youths was the riots that ensued crossways the UK in 2011 which was orchestrated using the forgive service BlackBerry Messenger BBM (Lewis et al., 2012). BBM is a free service in which one message grass be disseminated to hundreds of recipients instantly who then forrard the message to the hundreds more (Lewis et al., 2012). Th e social cohesion resulting from BBM extended to a transient truce between otherwise rival gangs which is a positive function of interaction (Lewis et al., 2012). The riots came to an abrupt end when BlackBerry disconnected the service so illustrating how solidarity depends on interaction (Lewis et al., 2012). Twitter was also accused of inciting the riots but it was afterwards proven that the 2.5 million riot-related tweets showed solidarity against the rioters whilst also regaining individuals to help with the clean-up process which serve the functionalist vision of society (BBC News 2011 Online). Similarly, the anomie in Egypt and Tunisia was corrected by implementing the trim of their relative dictators which was mobilised via Facebook (Bouteflika, 2011).The Social SystemIt is also argued that crime is necessary, inevitable and functional because it elicits the solidarity of the law-abiding public whose anger culminates in the public shaming and punishment of the wrongdoer (Durkheim, 1893). Crime therefore serves to redefine the moral boundaries which supports the functionalist vision of society (Durkheim, 1893). remote the riots, social stability occurs when all of the component parts are richly functioning producing a system of equilibrium (Parsons, 1951which is contingent upon the strength or weaknesses of the interactive relationships between the institutions (Parsons, 1951 1999 84). In this context, Parsons (1951) claims that actors are goal-achieving and have alternate ways of achieving goals such as through education which is universal and equal (1951130). In contrast, Merton argues that society sets the cultural goals but fails to provide the institutional means to bring home the bacon them (1938100). enchantment Durkheims functionalist vision is positivist in its assumptions that organisms are homogenous, Talcott Parsons theory of The Social System recognised that society comprised of a plurality of individual actors interacting with each other (1951 1991 3). Parsons (1951) argued that the social system is contingent upon a set of cardinal prerequisites which include adaptation in times of social change delinquent to one of the institutions malfunctioning goals involves achieving certain goals in society integration is the combine that actors will identify with their social group and latency involves maintaining the foundations of the social system such as through solid family socialisation.MumsnetThis would never be tolerated by the UKs top parenting site Mumsnet which is an interactive forum run by parents for parents (Mumsnet, 2015 Online). Mumsnet offers advice to parents on pregnancy, education, money, and work (Mumsnet, 2015 Online). Within these discourses advice ranging from breastfeeding to university education is all designed to educate and optimize how parents raise their ut or so for their children (Mumsnet, 2015 Online). In this context, Mumsnet clearly supports the functional vision of society as it interacts with most of the institutional organs of the body social most all of the institutions (Mumsnet, 2015).According to Max hale and Aggleton, (2013139) Mumsnet contains symbolic and ritualistic undercurrents that allow the phratry disparities to surface. For example, Mumsnet has a strict netiquette whereby husbands and children are identified within the posts by individuals as DH dear husband DS dear son and DD dear daughter which denotes ritual whilst imposing middle class values on working class families.Parsons argues that the primary problems and strains centre on the role of the married woman and mother The easy solution is for her to be completely excluded from the occupational system by confining herself to the role of housewife (1951128). However, Mumsnet mothers consider themselves professional mothers who can juggle their work-life balance with ease (2013139). For example, class disparities are evident in an exchange on Mumsnet between several mothers on children watching TV. For example,We lurch all be sustain EarthI wouldnt listen to some of the militant mums on hereBeing pregnant is no reason to be lazy parent to your toddlerHow judgey some people can be about a little TVAt least the child isnt strapped in a buggy with a packet of crisps and a bottle of cokeNowt wrong with crisps and a bottle of cokeExactly, as long as theyre organic(maxwell and Aggleton, 2013138)Such class differentiations are glaringly evident on Mumsnet who sell themselves as professional mothers who are well versed in child rearing (Maxwell and Agglegate, 2013). While functionalists overlook class in their macrosociological analysis, Mumsnet is class led and intimidating it is a site for those mothers who do not fear militant mothers or those labelled as Mother Earth (Maxwell and Agglegate, 2013139). While in principle the mother and homemaker serves the functionalist vision of society, through rituals and cultural practices, the fact that many Mumsnet mothers are w orking or unmarried will contradict this vision as being negative to children (Maxwell and Aggleton, 2013).The collective consciousness that perform rituals and totemic symbolisation provides a cauldron of collective effervescence for the religious (Durkheim, 1915 469). religion which is the most socially cohesive element of the institutions collective life awakens religious thought (Durkheim, 1915 469). (Coser, 1915 xx). Evidence of such effervescence surrounds Christmas, weddings Bar Mitzvahs and funerals is displayed on social media sites because religion is an eminently collective thing (Durkheim, 1954 47). Death is also a ritual and a goodness as people flock to mourn the departed this collective grief is replicated via social media (Durkheim, 1954 Bell, 1992). Durkheim argued that all societies were divided by the pious and the twist around the sacred are the totemic objects that are reserved for religious rituals which are emblematic of the clan or tribe, community or society this is the case across the globe as all primitive religions adopt the sacred/profane dichotomy (Durkheim 1915 xx). Sacred totems evoke emotional attachment whereas the profane represents commonplace objects that are used routinely (such as social media devices) (Durkheim, 1915 xx). However, such totems are only sacred because individuals deemed them as such (Durkheim, 1915). To this end, Durkheim dismisses the centrality of a God in religion it is the society itself that is God (19).It could be argued that the online community also worships itself as social media sites are central to society (Preston, 2011 Online). For example, in the previous calendar week to the time of writing, the Facebook page Jesus Daily received 26.6m Likes and 3.2m interactions (Facebook, 2015 Online). Similarly, In a Facebook post by a Jesuit priest supporting the independent Court decision to legalise gay marriage Rev. James Martin asseverate thatNo issue brings out so much hatred from so many Catholics as homosexuality. Even after over 25 eld as a Jesuit, the level of hatred around homosexuality is improbable to me, especially when I think of all of the wonderful LGBT friends I have (cited in Gibson, 2015 Online).The Reverends message went viral receiving 18,000 posts,140,000 shares and 400,000 likes on Facebook (Gibson, 2015Online).However, Pope Benedict warned Catholics that human interaction in physical terms was crucial (Preston, 2011 Online). Similarly, a Presbyterian high-flown urged individuals to experience the physical sensation of water in Baptism and hold hands in a service of worship (Preston, 2011 Online). This illustrates how religion is mediated in terms of a system of culturally structured and shared symbols (Parsons, 19796). Durkheim argues that forbidden, beliefs and practises assists the solidarity to one moral community called a church (Durkheim, 199544). A Church is not simply a priestly brotherhood it is a moral community (Durkheim, 1995 xxii- xxxii). The anomaly lies in the founder of Jesus Daily, Aaron Tabor who is actually bear upon and finds time to update Jesus Daily with Biblical texts (Preston, 2011 Online Drescher, 2011 ). Similarly, the retweeting of Pope Francis tweets comes second only to Barak Obama (1954 47).This is evidence of a shift towards maintaining a less profane online identity which supports the functionalist vision of society for its cohesive qualities. In contrast however, fore religiosity contradicts the functionalist vision. ISIS uses YouTube to showcase its killing Twitter to increase its presence and Facebook to radicalise and recruit young British Muslims from a distance because criminals are often the result of instinctive, irresistible feelings that they often spread to the innocent object (Durkheim, 189347 Engel, 2015). While Twitter is constantly deleting ISIS accounts, ISIS is more intelligent than terrorists of the past which most unquestionably contradicts the functionalist vision ( Engel, 2015).ConclusionIn conclusion it is evident following a critical evaluation of the debates above that social media on the whole supports the functionalist view of society in maintaining to high degree the social stability of the body social. It is evident that rituals are performed constantly and values are reinforced where needed. However, other sites are more philanthropic and patronising of their working class subscribers which contradicts the functionalist vision. Social media has been beneficial to parts of the Arab world by overthrowing oppressive dictators while the social action of British youths served to redraw the moral boundaries. ISIS contradicts the functionalist vision in its aim to eradicated Christians from Iraq and Syria. Nevertheless, the social cohesion of interacting with family and friends while the rituals that religious beliefs behold do support the functionalist vision of society.Word Count 2,190BibliographyBBC News (2012) Social media talks about ri ot constructive, BBC News Online gettablehttp//www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-14657456(Accessed 16th kinsfolk 2015)Bell, C. M. (1992). rite theory, ritual practice. New York Oxford University cupboard.Bouteflika, A. 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