Values and norms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Values and norms - Essay Example Generally a group defines the rules that will be used for deciding appropriate and inappropriate values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors (Changing minds, 2011). These rules become the norms for the common people. Folkways are the set of norms, values and virtues that have not been strictly put into law but are followed out of imitation and mild social pressure. The American society is a multitude of diverse cultures from across the world. As a result, American culture is deeply enriched by the values and norms of different culture. Some of the recognized values of America are: Individual freedom: The value of free individual leads to a person having control over his/her own destiny. This freedom entails the individual to choose his religion, profession, education in specific and in general the way s/he wants to spend her life. Privacy: Privacy is another important value that is followed in America. People in America don’t want anybody else to interfere in their affairs or give advices. People generally want others to mind their own businesses. American and Mexican cultures are different in more ways than in the ways they are similar. While Mexicans put family as the most important thing, which is above education and success. Americans consider punctuality as an essential trait whereas Mexicans consider it appropriate to be late to dinners. Another contrasting difference is in the position of the women in the society. While women in America have almost equal decision making powers as their husbands, they play a secondary role in

What is the significance of new communication technologies for Essay

What is the significance of new communication technologies for contemporary community or youth work - Essay Example The daily lives of youths in the present days are dominated by live communications such as internet chats, use of phones and SMS messaging, among many others. It is not possible to understand the lifestyles of the young people without considering the roles played, in their lives, by internet, mobile phones and other forms of new and modern technology. The teenagers and young people are spending a substantial part of their lifetime using modern technology such are computers, the internet, and mobile phones – hence this issue is incessantly becoming more significant. The new and modern technology has some positive as well as negative impacts on the lives of the youths and the community at large. Although I am aware that Internet has many advantages not only for young people but for the society in general, in my professional role as a youth worker, I only work with young people affected by the negative aspects as they are young people in need. It is through this forum that I have realised the strong need to protect this vulnerable group from the negative impact of new technology, as it will be discussed in this paper. Sociality – private/public boundaries There are various anthropology-based perspectives through which any technology can be studied including creation of social relations, the resultant rituals, the values fostered and the practices developed around the said technology by different users. On the other hand, cyberculture can be associated with new technologies in two areas, including biotechnology and artificial intelligence - such as information and computer technologies. The computer and information technologies have brought about a system of technosociality, which is an extensive process of sociocultural construction built in two systems originated from the so-called cyberculture. In contrast, biotechnologies are the origins of biosociality - a new system for production of nature, life and the body through biological innovations. All in all, cyberculture originates from modernity form of social and cultural matrix, which is seen as a step towards readjusting the dominant tradition. The computer is a reminiscent object and a predictive medium for the creation of various public and private worlds. As the culture of computers continues to spread, more peoples perceive themselves in terms of computers (Escobar 215). It is common to find the term ‘private’ being compared with ‘public’. The field of communication media has been synonymous with the creation of the situations of either being public of private. The private/public boundaries are shaped by the way humans have interacted with the world around them. For a case in point, modern technologies and communications such as televisions, radios, telephones and the internet have practically enjoined the outside and public worlds within the people’s private spheres, breaking the barrier between the two worlds. In addition, the modern te chnology has toughened the boundary of privacy within homes. By intervening in the external world within the home, and at the same time allowing people to interact with the external worl