Socialization is one of the most important factors that define a human being. The need to socialize has seen people invent various channels of socialization. Technological advancement has reduced the world into a small village. Some areas, such as the mass media coverage, have attracted the attention of many individuals globally. With the current mass media, much has changed, especially in terms of socialization.
This includes the radios, television, newspapers, and many more. They deliver and carry messages or information from one place to the other. Socialization process has extremely taken a new look in the current society.
What the media displays has attracted a lot of attention from the public. Information on major societal issues, such as sexuality, is displayed clearly to the public. Unlike in the traditional society where such sensitive information could not be addressed openly, all forms of information are openly discussed fearlessly in the modern society.
Mass media has become so advanced to an extent that people from different regions can chart over various issues affecting them in life. This has greatly helped people in terms of expressing their views freely in areas of interest. By so doing, a social network is created. Issues of family and marriages are addressed. Relationship issues are discussed through the mass media as well.
Twitter and Facebook are the main forms of social media in the modern society. Through Facebook and twitter, people from various parts of the world share information and would form relationships more easily. According to Henslin (2012), young individuals would get in touch with each other through the social media and would form serious friendships, which would end up in marriages.
Mass media has drawn the attention of many politicians in the modern society since it offers as a platform through which leaders can form strong bonds with the electorate. Through Facebook and Twitter, politicians are able to pass their campaign information to many. The mass media helps them in sharing their political standpoints and interests with their supporters, organize meetings, and hold political rallies.
The first category of the socialization agents is the media. The mass media and the social media have been major agents of socialization. As mentioned above, the mass media is a very vital socializing agent. The newspaper, radio, and television are the main socializing agents in the modern society. On the social media, Facebook, Tweeter, and YouTube are the main agents of socialization.
Facebook has about one billion subscribers from all over the world. This means that through Facebook, one can reach numerous individuals locally and globally. Others, such as YouTube and Tweeter, are also major agents of socialization.
The second category of the agent of socialization is social institutions where people meet (Eitzen, 2011). Such places include schools, sporting events, churches, and other places of worship. Clubs, places of work and even hospitals are also considered social places. These are places where people can socialize.
In the recent past, there has been a massive discussion as to whether the media has a stronger influence on socialization than other agents do. Depending on the angle taken, this may be true or otherwise. Most people who communicate through the media, such as, Facebook, Tweeter, and the mass media, are people who have physically meet through the above agents of socialization.
The media in this case only allows them to keep in contact with one another. However, there is rising crop of individuals who make friendships on the social media before physical meeting. This makes the media a stronger agent of socialization.
References
Eitzen, D. (2011). Social Problems, Census Update. New York: Pearson College Div.
Henslin, J. M. (2012). Sociology: A down to earth approach: core concepts: census update. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Perrino,