America just like any other part of the world has undergone drastic changes in contemporary times. Some social, political, religious, and personal issues are very new. If our ancestors were to rise from the dead they would find it hard, to understand some of the things present in American popular culture. Surely, change is inevitable and necessary for development.
Running from social networks across the internet, through entry of females in politics and substance abuse amongst youth to sex scandals within churches, no one can deny that for the last forty years America has undergone drastic changes.
Socially, America has experienced one of the greatest revolutions ever experienced in social arena. Arrival of internet heralded entry of social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Friendster to mention but a few. Through these sites, friends and aliens alike can connect, share information, have fun, start relationships, or start businesses among other issues. The arrival of Myspace in 2003 was just but the beginning of more revolutions to come.
In nature, human beings are social animals; therefore, they would seize any opportunity to socialize and this explains why many people are members of one or more social networking sites. According to Facebook (2010), it boasts over 400 million active users. Joining these sites is free with no restriction to age, color, education, or social status. As long as someone can access the internet, he/she qualifies to be a member.
Ten years ago, finding a long-term life partner was relegated to the lonely; however, nowadays it is a popular habit in society. Apart from getting long-term partners, chat rooms for gay, lesbians or single mothers among others are well at work. The likes of Nietzsche would view this social revolution as an answer to “filling emptiness in the human existence” (Hollingdale, 1973, p. 19).
In these networking sites, there are virtual versions of human activities like sending birthday gifts and cakes, owning undersea gardens, and other virtual issues that create fun and enliven lives. People are even learning of job opportunities through these sites.
Unfortunately, there is a dark side of this social revolution. Most people do not utilize privacy in these sites; therefore, they end up revealing too much information to the world. This is dangerous. Regrettably, community is disintegrating; people no longer know their neighbors, children are becoming antisocial for lack of exposure.
Most people are wasting a lot of precious time chatting with people they will never meet and the chat yields to nothing. Studies show that more people are becoming obsessed with internet and soon many will be headed into rehab. Young people are becoming lazier by spending more time in the internet. The long-term effects of this behavior are unproductive society with broken social norms and disintegrated communication skills.
Politically, 2006 was a year of revolution, as Sarah Palin became the first female governor in history of America; consequently, she went on to become McCain’s running mate in 2008 general elections. Talking of elections President Barrack Obama became the first African American president in history. These are real time changes in American culture and as things look, more revolution is on the way, as future remains uncertain; no one knows what lurks in the future.
In the last forty years, America has experienced drastic changes, socially and politically among other areas of life. Entry of social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace presents one of America’s popular cultures. People can make friends, chat, and share information by the click of a mouse. Politically, females are now into politics with Sarah Palin becoming the first ever governor and President Barrack Obama making history as the first African American president in America.
Reference List
Facebook. (2010). Statistics. Web.
Hollingdale, J. (1973). Nietzsche. London; Kegan Paul Ltd.