Exam #2

Conflict theorist perspective on media globalization? A functionalist?

Focus on how much political ideology and cultural colonialism occurs with technological growth. In theory at least, technological innovations are ideology-free; a fiber optic cable is the same in a Muslim country as a secular one, a communist country or a capitalist one. A functionalist, in contrast, might focus on the ways technology creates new means to share information about successful crop-growing programs, or on the economic benefits of opening a new market for cell phone use.

Native Americans

Forced assimilation, relocation, and low social standing• Forty-one American Indian nations and six Alaskan Native nations- Made up of more than 600 smaller tribal groups• Most remain severely disadvantaged- A profound sense of injustice

net neutrality

the principle that all Internet data should be treated equally by Internet service providers, is part of the national debate about Internet access and the digital divide.

technological diffusion

the spread of technology across borders.

digital divide

the uneven access to technology among different races, classes, and geographic areas.

lower class subsets

the working class, the working poor, and the underclass. Working-class people, the highest subcategory of the lower class, often land decent jobs in fields like custodial or food service. The work is hands-on and often physically demanding, such as landscaping, cooking, cleaning, or building. Beneath the working class is the working poor. Like the working class, they have unskilled, low-paying employment. However, their jobs rarely offer benefits such as healthcare or retirement planning, and their positions are often seasonal or temporary. They work as sharecroppers, migrant farm workers, housecleaners, and day laborers. Some are high school dropouts. Some are illiterate, unable to read job ads. The underclass is the United States' lowest tier. Members of the underclass live mainly in inner cities. Many are unemployed or underemployed. Those who do hold jobs typically perform menial tasks for little pay. Some of the underclass are homeless. For many, welfare systems provide a much-needed support through food assistance, medical care, housing, and the like.

sedimentation of racial inequality

this describes the intergenerational impact of both practical and legalized racism that limits the ability of black people to accumulate wealth

Two major issues faced by low-income nations?

women are disproportionately affected by poverty (in a trend toward a global feminization of poverty) and much of the population lives in absolute poverty.

World bank terminology What are advantages to this terminology?

◦High-income: Nations with the highest overall standards of living◦Middle-income: Nations with a standard of living about average for the world◦Low-income: Nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor Focuses on economic development rather than political structure◦Provides better picture of the relative economic development of various countries

5 ways to define a minority

(1) unequal treatment and less power over their lives, (2) distinguishing physical or cultural traits like skin color or language, (3) involuntary membership in the group, (4) awareness of subordination, and (5) high rate of in-group marriage. Additional examples of minority groups might include the LBGT community, religious practitioners whose faith is not widely practiced where they live, and people with disabilities.

Asian Americans

18 million, 5.6 percent of U.S. population Enormous diversity within category Attention commanded as high achievers "Model minority" stereotype Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, and recent Asian immigrants

Media consolidation

5 companies control 90% of media outlets

Evolutionary model of technological change

A breakthrough in one form of technology leads to a number of variations. Once those are assessed, a prototype emerges, and then a period of slight adjustments to the technology, interrupted by a breakthrough. For example, floppy disks were improved and upgraded, then replaced by Zip disks, which were in turn improved to the limits of the technology and were then replaced by flash drives. This is essentially a generational model for categorizing technology, in which first-generation technology is a relatively unsophisticated jumping-off point that leads to an improved second generation, and so on.

Media from a functionalist's perspective

A functionalist would probably focus on what social purposes technology and media serve. For example, the web is both a form of technology and of media, and it links individuals and nations in a communication network that facilitates both small family discussions and global trade networks. A functionalist would also be interested in the manifest functions of media and technology, as well as their role in social dysfunction.

Media consolidation

A process in which fewer and fewer owners control the majority of media outlets This creates an OLIGOPOLY in which a few firms dominate the media marketplace.

Caste system

A system in which people are born into their social standing and will remain in it their whole lives. People are assigned occupations regardless of their talents, interests, or potential. There are virtually no opportunities to improve a person's social position.

Media

A term that refers to all print, digital, and electronic means of communication. From the time the printing press was created (and even before), technology has influenced how and where information is shared. Today, it is impossible to discuss media and the ways societies communicate without addressing the fast-moving pace of technology change. Channels of communication: all print, digital, and electronic means of communication // Technology creates media

Modernization theory

According to this theory, , low-income countries are affected by their lack of industrialization and can improve their global economic standing through: 1) an adjustment of cultural values and attitudes to work 2) industrialization and other forms of economic growth

How is advertising changing?

Advertising has changed, as technology and media have allowed consumers to bypass traditional advertising venues. From the invention of the remote control, which allows us to skip television advertising without leaving our seats, to recording devices that let us watch programs but skip the ads, conventional television advertising is on the wane. And print media is no different. Advertising revenue in newspapers and on television fell significantly in 2009, which shows that companies need new ways of getting their messages to consumers. Companies are now hiring college students to be their on-campus representatives, and they are looking for popular students engaged in high-profile activities like sports, fraternities, and music. The marketing team is betting that if we buy perfume because Beyoncé tells us to, we'll also choose our cell phone or smoothie brand if a popular student encourages that choice.

Who are the poorest countries and ppl?

Africa is poorest countries due ot lack of land and bad government Asia is poorest people -- overpopulaiton puts strain on resources MENA (middle east and north africa) unrest. The two regions with the highest risk of social unrest are Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East-North Africa region (International Labour Organization 2012). Increasing unemployment and high socioeconomic inequality in MENA were major factors in the Arab Spring, which—beginning in 2010—toppled dictatorships throughout the Middle East in favor of democratically elected government. Unemployment and income inequalities are still being blamed on immigrants, foreign nationals, and ethnic/religious minorities.

Culture theory: Conflict theory:

Culture theory: Prejudice is embedded in culture. Conflict theory: Self-justification for the rich and powerful in the U.S.; Cultivation of climate of race consciousness for greater power and privileges by minorities

New Media

All interactive forms of information exchange. These include social networking sites, blogs, podcasts, wikis, and virtual worlds. There is no guarantee that the information offered is accurate. The immediacy of new media coupled with the lack of oversight means we must be more careful than ever to ensure our news is coming from accurate sources.

Class traits

Also called class markers, are the typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class. Class traits indicate the level of exposure a person has to a wide range of cultures. Class traits also indicate the amount of resources a person has to spend on items like hobbies, vacations, and leisure activities.

Meritocracy

An ideal system based on the belief that social stratification is the result of personal effort—or merit—that determines social standing. High levels of effort will lead to a high social position, and vice versa. A society has never existed where social rank was based purely on merit. Because of the complex structure of societies, processes like socialization, and the realities of economic systems, social standing is influenced by multiple factors—not merit alone. Inheritance and pressure to conform to norms, for instance, disrupt the notion of a pure meritocracy. While a meritocracy has never existed, sociologists see aspects of meritocracies in modern societies when they study the role of academic and job performance and the systems in place for evaluating and rewarding achievement in these areas.

2nd model of global stratification

Another model separates countries into two groups: more developed and less developed. More-developed nations have higher wealth, such as Canada, Japan, and Australia. Less-developed nations have less wealth to distribute among higher populations, including many countries in central Africa, South America, and some island nations.

Class system

Based on both social factors and individual achievement. A class consists of a set of people who share similar status with regard to factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation. Unlike caste systems, class systems are open. People are free to gain a different level of education or employment than their parents. They can also socialize with and marry members of other classes, which allows people to move from one class to another. In a class system, occupation is not fixed at birth. Though family and other societal models help guide a person toward a career, personal choice plays a role.

Functionalist view of media

Because functionalism focuses on how media and technology contribute to the smooth functioning of society, a good place to begin understanding this perspective is to write a list of functions you perceive media and technology to perform. Your list might include the ability to find information on the Internet, television's entertainment value, or how advertising and product placement contribute to social norms. An obvious manifest function of media is its entertainment value. Even while the media is selling us goods and entertaining us, it also serves to socialize us, helping us pass along norms, values, and beliefs to the next generation. In fact, we are socialized and resocialized by media throughout our whole lives. All forms of media teach us what is good and desirable, how we should speak, how we should behave, and how we should react to events. Media also provide us with cultural touchstones during events of national significance. some studies suggest the rising obesity rate is correlated with the decrease in physical activity caused by an increase in use of some forms of technology, a latent function of the prevalence of media in society

Miscegenation

Biological reproduction by partners of different racial categories

Two types of systems of stratification

Closed systems accommodate little change in social position. They do not allow people to shift levels and do not permit social relationships between levels. Open systems, which are based on achievement, allow movement and interaction between layers and classes.

Global stratification

Compares the wealth, economic stability, status, and power of countries across the world. Global stratification highlights worldwide patterns of social inequality. Refers to this unequal distribution among nations.

What are the labels for nations in Wallerstein's approach?

Core nations are dominant capitalist countries, highly industrialized, technological, and urbanized. For example, Wallerstein contends that the United States is an economic powerhouse that can support or deny support to important economic legislation with far-reaching implications, thus exerting control over every aspect of the global economy and exploiting both semi-peripheral and peripheral nations. Peripheral nations have very little industrialization; what they do have often represents the outdated castoffs of core nations or the factories and means of production owned by core nations. They typically have unstable governments, inadequate social programs, and are economically dependent on core nations for jobs and aid. Semi-peripheral nations are in-between nations, not powerful enough to dictate policy but nevertheless acting as a major source for raw material and an expanding middle-class marketplace for core nations, while also exploiting peripheral nations. Mexico is an example,

Problems with modernization theory

Critics point out the inherent ethnocentric bias of this theory. It supposes all countries have the same resources and are capable of following the same path. In addition, it assumes that the goal of all countries is to be as "developed" as possible. There is no room within this theory for the possibility that industrialization and technology are not the best goals. Data show that core nations tend to have lower maternal and child mortality rates, longer life spans, and less absolute poverty. It is also true that in the poorest countries, millions of people die from the lack of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, which are benefits most of us take for granted. At the same time, the issue is more complex than the numbers might suggest. Cultural equality, history, community, and local traditions are all at risk as modernization pushes into peripheral countries. The

Davis - moore thesis

Davis-Moore thesis, which argued that the greater the functional importance of a social role, the greater must be the reward. The theory posits that social stratification represents the inherently unequal value of different work. Certain tasks in society are more valuable than others. Qualified people who fill those positions must be rewarded more than others. functionalist perspective The Davis-Moore thesis, though open for debate, was an early attempt to explain why stratification exists. The thesis states that social stratification is necessary to promote excellence, productivity, and efficiency, thus giving people something to strive for. Davis and Moore believed that the system serves society as a whole because it allows everyone to benefit to a certain extent.

list 6 types of slavery

Descent-based slavery - Chattel slavery◦Forced labor imposed by the state◦Child slavery◦Debt bondage◦Servile forms of marriage◦Human trafficking

Technology

Describes the application of science to address the problems of daily life. All aspects of our lives are influenced by technology

Homogenization and Fragmentation in the media

Despite the variety of media at hand, the mainstream news and entertainment you enjoy are increasingly homogenized. Research by McManus (1995) suggests that different news outlets all tell the same stories, using the same sources, resulting in the same message, presented with only slight variations. Simultaneously with this homogenization among the major news outlets, the opposite process is occurring in the newer media streams. With so many choices, people increasingly customize their news experience, minimizing their opportunity to encounter information that does not jive with their worldview Fragmentation With many choices - people customize their news experience, minimizing their opportunity to encounter information that does not align with their worldview Homogenization Same stories, using the same sources, resulting in the same message

Two important characteristics of minorities

Distinctive identity: Race, sex, sexual orientation, the poor Subordination: Lower income, lower occupational prestige, limited schooling; Lack power compared to dominant group

Early forms of print media

Early forms of print media, found in ancient Rome, were hand-copied onto boards and carried around to keep the citizenry informed. With the invention of the printing press, the way that people shared ideas changed, as information could be mass produced and stored. The invention of the telegraph, in the mid-1800s, changed print media almost as much as the printing press. Suddenly information could be transmitted in minutes. Newspaper With the invention and widespread use of television in the mid-twentieth century, newspaper circulation steadily dropped off, and in the 21st century, circulation has dropped further as more people turn to internet news sites and other forms of new media to stay informed.

Structural mobility

Happens when societal changes enable a whole group of people to move up or down the social class ladder. It is attributable to changes in society as a whole, not individual changes. In the first half of the twentieth century, industrialization expanded the U.S. economy, raising the standard of living and leading to upward structural mobility. In today's work economy, the recent recession and the outsourcing of jobs overseas have contributed to high unemployment rates. Many people have experienced economic setbacks, creating a wave of downward structural mobility.

White anglo saxon protestants

Highly skilled and motivated immigrants Higher social standing than other immigrants Wealth and power peaked by about 1950 Assume terms "race" and "ethnicity" do not personally apply

Homogenization

Homogenization Same stories, using the same sources, resulting in the same message

Michael Brown and Darren Wilson

In 2014, eighteen-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by twenty-eight-year-old Darren Wilson, a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Radio and TV's impact on Americans

In both cases, information (and entertainment) could be enjoyed at home, with a kind of immediacy and community that newspapers could not offer. Most people had TVs in their homes and watched over 2 hours each day All this television has a powerful socializing effect, providing reference groups while reinforcing social norms, values, and beliefs.

How does America primarily stratify people?

In most societies, stratification is an economic system, based on wealth, the net value of money and assets a person has, and income, a person's wages or investment dividends.

What are newspapers currently doing?

Increasingly, newspapers are shifting online in an attempt to remain relevant. It is hard to tell what impact new media platforms will have on the way we receive and process information.

Chattel slavery

The form of slavery once practiced in the American South, occurs when one person owns another as property. Child slavery, which may include child prostitution, is a form of chattel slavery.

Conflict theory on race

Intersection theory - we cannot separate effects of race, class, and gender when examining advantages and disadvantages

Conflict perspective on media

It focuses on the creation and reproduction of inequality—social processes that tend to disrupt society rather than contribute to its smooth operation. When we take a conflict perspective, one major focus is the differential access to media and technology embodied in the digital divide. Conflict theorists also look at who controls the media, and how media promotes the norms of upper-middle-class white people in the United States while minimizing the presence of the working class, especially people of color. GATEKEEPING as the sorting process by which thousands of possible messages are shaped into a mass media-appropriate form and reduced to a manageable amount. In other words, the people in charge of the media decide what the public is exposed to Some conflict theorists suggest that the way U.S. media are generated results in an unbalanced political arena. Those with the most money can buy the most media exposure, run smear campaigns against their competitors, and maximize their visual presence.

Intergeneraltional movility

It is not uncommon for different generations of a family to belong to varying social classes. This is known as intergenerational mobility. For example, an upper-class executive may have parents who belonged to the middle class. In turn, those parents may have been raised in the lower class. Patterns of intergenerational mobility can reflect long-term societal changes.

Social stratification

It refers to a society's categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, and power. Society's layers are made of people, and society's resources are distributed unevenly throughout the layers. The people who have more resources represent the top layer of the social structure of stratification. Other groups of people, with progressively fewer and fewer resources, represent the lower layers of our society.

Culture of prejudice

It refers to the theory that prejudice is embedded in our culture. We grow up surrounded by images of stereotypes and casual expressions of racism and prejudice.

Dependency theory

It states that global inequality is primarily caused by core nations (or high-income nations) exploiting semi-peripheral and peripheral nations (or middle-income and low-income nations), which creates a cycle of dependence As long as peripheral nations are dependent on core nations for economic stimulus and access to a larger piece of the global economy, they will never achieve stable and consistent economic growth. Further, the theory states that since core nations, as well as the World Bank, choose which countries to make loans to, and for what they will loan funds, they are creating highly segmented labor markets that are built to benefit the dominant market countries. But some dependency theorists would state that it is in the best interests of core nations to ensure the long-term usefulness of their peripheral and semi-peripheral partners. Following that theory, sociologists have found that entities are more likely to outsource a significant portion of a company's work if they are the dominant player in the equation; in other words, companies want to see their partner countries healthy enough to provide work, but not so healthy as to establish a threat

Scapegoat theory

It suggests that the dominant group will displace its unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group. History has shown us many examples of the scapegoating of a subordinate group. An example from the last century is the way Adolf Hitler was able to blame the Jewish population for Germany's social and economic problems. In the United States, recent immigrants have frequently been the scapegoat for the nation's—or an individual's—woes. Many states have enacted laws to disenfranchise immigrants; these laws are popular because they let the dominant group scapegoat a subordinate group.

Immanuel Wallerstein's (1979) world systems approach

It uses an economic basis to understand global inequality. Wallerstein conceived of the global economy as a complex system that supports an economic hierarchy that placed some nations in positions of power with numerous resources and other nations in a state of economic subordination. Those that were in a state of subordination faced significant obstacles to mobilization.

Film and it's impact

Like television, early films were unifying for society: as people gathered in theaters to watch new releases, they would laugh, cry, and be scared together. Movies also act as time capsules or cultural touchstones for society. From

Media from feminist perspective

Mass media supports the domination of society by males and the subordination of females. Advertising carries male bias. Gender gap in tech-related fields - bias toward men Evaluate Mass media has played a part in reducing gender inequality. Social media has helped spread awareness of inequality.

Why do some critics say media distorts reality

Some critics say media distorts reality In selecting stories to cover, outlets favor high-interest events

Why do monopolies matter?

Monopolies matter because less competition typically means consumers are less well served since dissenting opinions or diverse viewpoints are less likely to be found. Media consolidation results in the following dysfunctions: 1) consolidated media owes more to its stockholders than to the public. The few companies that control most of the media, because they are owned by the power elite, represent the political and social interests of only a small minority. 2) In an oligopoly there are fewer incentives to innovate, improve services, or decrease prices.

How do people tend to obtain their social position?

Parents tend to pass their social position on to their children. People inherit not only social standing but also the cultural norms that accompany a certain lifestyle. They share these with a network of friends and family members. Social standing becomes a comfort zone, a familiar lifestyle, and an identity.

Carmichael and Hamilton

People are slow to condemn or recognize institutional prejudice and discrimination. - It often involves respected public officials and long-established practices.

How does marriage operate in a class system?

People have the option to form EXOGAMOUS marriages, unions of spouses from different social categories. Marriage in these circumstances is based on values such as love and compatibility rather than on social standing or economics. Though social conformities still exist that encourage people to choose partners within their own class, people are not as pressured to choose marriage partners based solely on those elements. Marriage to a partner from the same social background is an ENDOGAMOUS union.

Planned obsolenscence

Planned Obsolescence: Technology that's Build to Crash Planning for a product to be obsolete or unusable from the time it is created

Types of media

Print NewspaperTelevision and RadioFilm/MoviesNew Media

Pros and Cons of technological globilization

Pros: Rural and low-tech products such as corn can benefit from new technological innovations, and that, conversely, technologies like mobile banking can aid those whose rural existence consists of low-tech market vending. Technological advances in areas like mobile phones can lead to competition, lowered prices, and concurrent improvements in related areas such as mobile banking and information sharing. The same patterns of social inequality that create a digital divide in the United States also create digital divides within peripheral and semi-peripheral nations. While the growth of technology use among countries has increased dramatically over the past several decades, the spread of technology within countries is significantly slower among peripheral and semi-peripheral nations. In these countries, far fewer people have the training and skills to take advantage of new technology, let alone access it. Technological access tends to be clustered around urban areas and leaves out vast swaths of peripheral-nation citizens. While the diffusion of information technologies has the potential to resolve many global social problems, it is often the population most in need that is most affected by the digital divide. For example, technology to purify water could save many lives, but the villages in peripheral nations most in need of water purification don't have access to the technology, the funds to purchase it, or the technological comfort level to introduce it as a solution.

Race vs ethnicity

Race is constructed from biological traits. Ethnicity is constructed from cultural traits, such as ancestry, language, or religion.

Racism vs colorism

Racism: Belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another; Widespread throughout U.S. history; Decrease in overt racism in the U.S., but still serious social problem (form of prejudice) Colorism: Someone believes one type of skin tone is superior or inferior to another

Social mobility

Refers to the ability to change positions within a social stratification system. When people improve or diminish their economic status in a way that affects social class, they experience social mobility.

Authoritarian personality theory

Rigid moralists conform to conventional cultural values and see moral issues as clear-cut matters of right and wrong. "Better" people (like themselves) dominate those who are weaker (all minorities).

More risks of media globilization?

Risk of cultural imperialism and the loss of local culture One risk is the potential for censoring by national governments that let in only the information and media they feel serve their message, as is occurring in China. Core nations such as the United States risk the use of international media by criminals to circumvent local laws against socially deviant and dangerous behaviors such as gambling, child pornography, and the sex trade. Offshore or international web sites allow U.S. citizens (and others) to seek out whatever illegal or illicit information they want, from twenty-four hour online gambling sites that do not require proof of age, to sites that sell child pornography. These examples illustrate the societal risks of unfettered information flow.

African Americans

Slavery became foundation of southern colonial plantation system 13th Amendment outlawed slavery 1950s-1960s national civil rights movement Racial hierarchy persists

Media from a conflict perspective

Someone applying the conflict perspective would probably focus on the systematic inequality created by differential access to media and technology. For example, how can middle-class U.S. citizens be sure the news they hear is an objective account of reality, unsullied by moneyed political interests? Gatekeeping!!!!

Media from interactionist perspective

Someone applying the interactionist perspective to technology and the media might seek to understand the difference between the real lives we lead and the reality depicted on "reality" television shows, such as The Bachelor Individuals engage in "social construction of reality."Information comes through the lens of the mass media.

Subjective poverty

Subjective poverty describes poverty that is composed of many dimensions; it is subjectively present when your actual income does not meet your expectations and perceptions. With the concept of subjective poverty, the poor themselves have a greater say in recognizing when it is present. In short, subjective poverty has more to do with how a person or a family defines themselves. This means that a family subsisting on a few dollars a day in Nepal might think of themselves as doing well, within their perception of normal. However, a westerner traveling to Nepal might visit the same family and see extreme need.

symbolic interactionist view on stratification

Symbolic interactionists also note that people's appearance reflects their perceived social standing. Housing, clothing, and transportation indicate social status, as do hairstyles, taste in accessories, and personal style.

Symbolic interactionlist perspective on media

Technology itself may act as a symbol for many. The kind of computer you own, the kind of car you drive, your ability to afford the latest Apple product—these serve as a social indicator of wealth and status. Neo-Luddites are people who see technology as symbolizing the coldness and alienation of modern life. But for technophiles, technology symbolizes the potential for a brighter future. For those adopting an ideological middle ground, technology might symbolize status (in the form of a massive flat-screen television) or failure (ownership of a basic old mobile phone with no bells or whistles). Meanwhile, media create and spread symbols that become the basis for our shared understanding of society. Theorists working in the interactionist perspective focus on this social construction of reality, an ongoing process in which people subjectively create and understand reality. Media constructs our reality in a number of ways. For some, the people they watch on a screen can become a primary group, meaning the small informal groups of people who are closest to them. For many others, media becomes a reference group: a group that influences an individual and to which an individual compares himself or herself, and by which we judge our successes and failures. We might do very well without the latest smartphone, until we see characters using it on our favorite television show or our classmates whipping it out between classes.

Explanations of global poverty

Technology◦About one-quarter of the people in low-income countries use human or animal power to farm land .◦Population growth◦Populations for poor countries in Africa double every 25 years. ◦Cultural patterns◦Poor societies are usually traditional and resist change, even change that promises a richer material life.

Technological globalization

The cross-cultural development and exchange of technology.

Feminist perspective on media

The gender gap in tech-related fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) is no secret. Gender stereotyping is one reason for this gap which acknowledges the bias toward men as keepers of technological knowledge. Press coverage in the media reinforces stereotypes that subordinate women; it gives airtime to looks over skills, and coverage disparages women who defy accepted norms.

Standard of living What is it based on?

The level of wealth available to a certain socioeconomic class in order to acquire the material necessities and comforts to maintain its lifestyle. The standard of living is based on factors such as income, employment, class, poverty rates, and housing affordability. Because standard of living is closely related to quality of life, it can represent factors such as the ability to afford a home, own a car, and take vacations.

Gross national income (GNI) per capita

The mean income of the people in a nation, found by dividing total GNI by the total population,

Mass media

The means for transmitting information from a single source to a vast number of people

Why against net neutrality?

The other side of the debate holds the belief that designating Internet service providers as common carriers would constitute an unreasonable regulatory burden and limit the ability of telecommunication companies to operate profitably. A functional perspective theorist might point out that, without profits, companies would not invest in making improvements to their Internet service or expanding those services to underserved areas.

Debt bondage, or bonded labor

The poor pledge themselves as servants in exchange for the cost of basic necessities like transportation, room, and board. In this scenario, people are paid less than they are charged for room and board. When travel is required, they can arrive in debt for their travel expenses and be unable to work their way free, since their wages do not allow them to ever get ahead.

Media globalization

The worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange of ideas

Feminization of poverty

This is a worldwide phenomenon known as the "feminization of poverty"—which acknowledges that women disproportionately make up the majority of individuals in poverty across the globe.

conspicuous consumption

To symbolically communicate social standing, people often engage in conspicuous consumption, which is the purchase and use of certain products to make a social statement about status. Carrying pricey but eco-friendly water bottles could indicate a person's social standing. Some people buy expensive trendy sneakers even though they will never wear them to jog or play sports. A $17,000 car provides transportation as easily as a $100,000 vehicle, but the luxury car makes a social statement that the less expensive car can't live up to. All these symbols of stratification are worthy of examination by an interactionist.

Conflict theorist view on stratification

Today, while working conditions have improved, conflict theorists believe that the strained working relationship between employers and employees still exists. Capitalists own the means of production, and a system is in place to make business owners rich and keep workers poor. According to conflict theorists, the resulting stratification creates class conflict. If he were alive in today's economy, as it recovers from a prolonged recession, Marx would likely have argued that the recession resulted from the greed of capitalists, satisfied at the expense of working people.

Status consistency

Used to describe the consistency, or lack thereof, of an individual's rank across these factors. EX: Caste systems correlate with high status consistency, whereas the more flexible class system has lower status consistency.

Name and describe the three types of patents

Utility patents are granted for the invention or discovery of any new and useful process, product, or machine, or for a significant improvement to existing technologies. Design patent: commonly conferred in architecture and industrial design, this means someone has invented a new and original design for a manufactured product. Plant patents recognize the discovery of new plant types that can be asexually reproduced. While genetically modified food is the hot-button issue within this category, farmers have long been creating new hybrids and patenting them. A more modern example might be food giant Monsanto, which patents corn with built-in pesticide

One model of global stratification

Various models of global stratification all have one thing in common: they rank countries according to their relative economic status, or gross national product (GNP). Traditional models, now considered outdated, used labels to describe the stratification of the different areas of the world. Simply put, they were named "first world, "second world," and "third world." First and second world described industrialized nations, while third world referred to "undeveloped" countries (Henslin 2004). When researching existing historical sources, you may still encounter these terms, and even today people still refer to some nations as the "third world."

Relative and absolute poverty

Whereas absolute poverty is deprivation so severe that it puts survival in jeopardy, relative poverty is not having the means to live the lifestyle of the average person in your country.

Last model of global stratification

Yet another system of global classification defines countries based on the per capita gross domestic product (GDP), a country's average national wealth per person. The GDP is calculated (usually annually) one of two ways: by totaling either the income of all citizens or the value of all goods and services produced in the country during the year. It also includes government spending. Because the GDP indicates a country's productivity and performance, comparing GDP rates helps establish a country's economic health in relation to other countries. The figures also establish a country's standard of living. According to this analysis, a GDP standard of a middle-income nation represents a global average. In low-income countries, most people are poor relative to people in other countries. Citizens have little access to amenities such as electricity, plumbing, and clean water. People in low-income countries are not guaranteed education, and many are illiterate. The life expectancy of citizens is lower than in high-income countries.

Panoptic surveillance

all-powerful, all-seeing government by George Orwell in 1984, and later analyzed by Michel Foucault (1975) is increasingly realized in the form of technology used to monitor our every move. This surveillance was imagined as a form of constant monitoring in which the observation posts are decentralized and the observed is never communicated with directly. Today, digital security cameras capture our movements, observers can track us through our cell phones, and police forces around the world use facial-recognition software.

knowledge gap

an ongoing and increasing gap in information for those who have less access to technology. Simply put, students in well-funded schools receive more exposure to technology than students in poorly funded schools. Those students with more exposure gain more proficiency, which makes them far more marketable in an increasingly technology-based job market and leaves our society divided into those with technological knowledge and those without.

What are the two major issues that high income countries face?

capital flight and deindustrialization Capital flight refers to the movement (flight) of capital from one nation to another, as when General Motors automotive company closed U.S. factories in Michigan and opened factories in Mexico. Deindustrialization, a related issue, occurs as a consequence of capital flight, as no new companies open to replace jobs lost to foreign nations.

Global inequality

concentrating resources in certain nations and is significantly affecting the opportunities of individuals in poorer and less powerful countries. social inequality is just as harmful as economic discrepancies. Inequalities based on sexual orientation and gender identity exist around the globe.

Major issue for middle-income nations?

debt accumulation is the buildup of external debt, wherein countries borrow money from other nations to fund their expansion or growth goals. As the uncertainties of the global economy make repaying these debts, or even paying the interest on them, more challenging, nations can find themselves in trouble. Once

Why pro net neutrality?

divide. On one side of this debate is the belief that those who provide Internet service, like those who provide electricity and water, should be treated as common carriers, legally prohibited from discriminating based on the customer or nature of the goods. Supporters of net neutrality suggest that without such legal protections, the Internet could be divided into "fast" and "slow" lanes. A conflict perspective theorist might suggest that this discrimination would allow bigger corporations, such as Amazon, to pay Internet providers a premium for faster service, which could lead to gaining an advantage that would drive small, local competitors out of business.

Cold war terminology noblesse oblige

it classifies countries into first world, second world, and third world nations based on their respective economic development and standards of living. Also during the Cold War, global inequality was described in terms of economic development. Along with developing and developed nations, the terms less-developed nation and underdeveloped nation were used. This was the era when the idea of noblesse oblige (first-world responsibility) took root, suggesting that the so-termed developed nations should provide foreign aid to the less-developed and underdeveloped nations in order to raise their standard of living. First World: Rich, industrial countries-Second World: Less industrialized, in-between, moderate economies and standard of living-Third World: Nonindustrial poor countries-Fourth World: Stigmatized minority groups denied a political voice

Who are the primary vehicles of media globalization?

multinational corporations are the primary vehicle of media globalization, and these corporations control global mass-media content and distribution