Introduction
Our culture impacts how we work and play, as well as how we see ourselves and others in relation to one another. It has an impact on our values and our perceptions of what is good and wrong. This is an example of how our choices are influenced by the culture in which we live. On the other hand, our choices can have an impact on others and, ultimately, transform our society. A range of personal variables, including age, health, sickness, pain, and the effect of a medication or treatment, may affect behavior. Personal and emotional characteristics include things like one’s personality, beliefs, expectations, emotions, and mental health, to name a few examples. In addition, life experiences – family, cultural, societal, and personal – contribute to one’s identity. This article describes how our modern society has influenced our individual’s behavior, decisions, and place in our society.
Our culture, which includes the traditions and conventions of our community, starts soon after birth. Known as socializing, this process covers a wide range of activities beyond traditional educational settings (Nichols, 2017). Our culture impacts how we work and play, as well as how we see ourselves and others in relation to one another. In addition, it impacts our values on our perceptions of what is good and harmful. This is an example of how our choices are influenced by the culture in which we live.
On the other hand, our choices can have an impact on others and, ultimately, transform our society. However, modern society has had a big impact on how we behave, how we bring up our children, and how we make present and future decisions. Social influence is how individuals adjust their conduct in response to demands placed on them by a social setting. Compliance, socialization, peer pressure, submission, leadership, persuasion, and sales are just a few of how it presents itself. While social influence is often the result of a specific action, demand, or request, people may modify their attitudes and behaviors in response to what they perceive others to be doing or thinking in the world around them (Van Ouytsel, 2020). As a result, our contemporary culture has had various effects on our actions and social positions.
Influence on adolescents
Our current civilization is primarily defined by social media and the development of new technologies. Communication sources have altered a great deal, and they have impacted almost every aspect of our daily life. As a result of the internet, many people are driven to emulate the behaviors of others (Baker, 2018). If things do not turn out the way they anticipate, this might have bad consequences in the future. First and foremost, contemporary civilization has impacted youth, both positively and negatively. According to research, the vast majority of teenagers in the United States have access to the internet. As a result, individuals can browse any website they like, even pornographic ones. For instance, your child learns more about human sexuality from movies and Netflix series than from high school’s required sex education class or family discussions around the dinner table. As a teenager in 2020, they almost certainly have more knowledge about sex and sexuality than you had when you were their age. What is the reason behind this? Because of the normalization of sex promoted by the entertainment and media industries, most parents are unable to keep up with it (Baker, 2018). Once these kids see such acts, they are enticed to participate. As a result, many of them end up developing sexually transmitted illnesses or even becoming pregnant without their parents’ consent. As a result, our contemporary civilization has played a part in exposing our kids to early sexual situations, which has impacted their conduct and decision-making in the future.
In addition, teens are prone to peer pressure from their adults, fellow teens, and what they watch on TVs. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in media available. It is currently available in various formats, including cinema, television, video games, social media platforms, and radio broadcast (Baker, 2018). Their combined influence on your growth throughout your teenage years is considerable. It is possible that if the latter see extensive violence against members of one race, they may acquire compassion for the oppressed or hatred against those who oppress them. Assuming, however, that the same news media began presenting those same victims as wicked individuals, they will very likely develop an intense dislike for everyone who belongs to that particular race. That is how racism has managed to persist for so long. In some cultures, the media plays a significant role in developing a feeling of superiority (Baker, 2018). Teens form opinions based on what they see in the media, influencing their actions.
Influence on Adults
Society has changed from a rural and agricultural situation to a secular, urban, and industrial one, which may be traced back to industrialization in many ways. Individuals have grown more literate and significant as civilization progresses, and they have progressively displaced the family, the community, or the occupational group as the fundamental unit of society. It has also been used in institutions that have grown more highly specialized due to industrialization, which is indicative of this process (Nichols, 2017). Instead of being ruled by tradition or custom, society has evolved to be guided by abstract concepts that have been developed specifically for this reason. Traditional religious beliefs have subsequently lost their significance, and distinguishing cultural characteristics have been lost as a result. The majority of social norms have been altered due to these changes in society. For example, many individuals have relocated from rural regions to metropolitan cities in quest of better work possibilities. In addition, women have made significant strides and have begun to assert themselves in leadership positions in national administrations, something that was previously unheard of.
On the other hand, most people have been said to have suffered unfavorable consequences as a result of contemporary civilization. Depression has been linked to social media and technology. The majority of individuals spend a significant amount of time on social media and mimic different habits and lifestyles they see on social media platforms. According to a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, chronic use of social media is associated with depression among young people (Nichols, 2017). A recent study found that people who checked their social media accounts often were 2.7 times more likely to develop depression than those who checked them less frequently. Moreover, a quarter of those who took part in the study exhibited elevated levels of depressive indicators.
Conclusion
Our society highly influences our behavior and choices. Teenagers learn a great deal from their surroundings, but they also imitate some behaviors from the internet due to their exposure to social media sites. If teenagers’ exposure to social media is not monitored, they may mimic negative behaviors such as aggression, drug misuse, or even exposure to sex life at a young age. Adults, on the other hand, have been impacted by contemporary culture. The majority of women have been empowered and are now in leadership positions in government agencies. By contrast, social media has had a detrimental effect on individuals. Social media has been identified as a significant contributor to mental illness. The majority of young people are replicating negative behaviors from social media platforms, which has a detrimental effect on their mental health.
References
Nichols, H. (2017). How modern life affects our physical and mental health.
Baker, F. (2018). How Does Society Influence One’s Behavior?.
Van Ouytsel, J., Ponnet, K., & Walrave, M. (2020). Cyberdating abuse: Investigating digital monitoring behaviors among adolescents from a social learning perspective. Journal of interpersonal violence, 35(23-24), 5157-5178.
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