The generalized other is a concept generated to educate people that as much as they are taking care of themselves, they ought to mind others and do right by them. Mead argued that the concept represents a collection of attitudes and roles used by people as a reference for figuring out how to act in a specific situation (Ritzer & Stepnisky, 2018). Therefore, when individuals behave according to the expectations of others, they are taking the concept of generalized other. According to Beeman (2020), as people grow during life stages, they continue to know each other and eventually start being concerned about others. In the explanation of the stages of life, people in their early-stage focus on the ‘I’ aspect because they have not yet developed an interest in others. Also, they are not aware of how they look at this stage. However, when growing up, they start focusing on the self. On the contrary, as they become aware of the self, they also acknowledge their behavior to society hence acting while considering the judgment of others.
One of the major roles of mass media to individuals’ growth is giving them a platform to interact and share ideas. In interaction, individuals get to form relationships with each other get attention and affection. This helps people build confidence in themselves hence acquiring high self-esteem. As such, individuals will start recognizing their worth and appreciate themselves. Based on the concept of generalized other, individuals tend to look for affirmation from the society using the media. They feel approved and wanted from this affirmation, thus building their confidence in how they look. Social media also has much information that can build self. For instance, education knowledge can help one to feel important after learning. It gives people confidence and the ability to recognize their potential.
References
Beeman, P. A. (2020). Lecture on mead: I, me, and generalized other [Video File]. YouTube. Web.
Ritzer, G., & Stepnisky, J. (2018). Classical sociological theory (7th ed.). SAGE.