Sociology Essays (1149 words) - Sociological Paradigms,

Sociology Sociology in the Digital Age, From a Personal Experience The introduction of the Internet and mobile connectivity has entered society at an alarming rate in recent years. In early 2012, 88% of Singaporeans own a smartphone (Blackbox, 2012), with the figures easily larger today. In the midst of adapting to this change, we find ourselves starting to probe into issues arisen from the how technology start to affect the way we human beings socialize amongst ourselves. As a result of this rapid remolding of the social structure, there are beliefs that the technological intrusion may be causing gradual inapplicability of sociological concepts. In this essay however, I will seek to critically examine my personal experience with and without the Internet, demonstrating how sociological explanations is still relevant and also complementary to technology. In an instance where a sociological explanation is valid, the paradigm shift pre to post digital age merely alters the application of the theory to appear in an alternate form. In an affluent country like Singapore with strong economic capital, it possesses a culture where students are very competitive for high academic standards. Emile Durkeims functionalist theory is relevant in this context, where research showed that 80% of parents would be very willing to provide their children with external tuition such that it would be improving their academic achievements effectively (Blackbox, 2012). Research also revealed that most parents who provide their children with tuition solely to give them an edge over others are those that possess higher economic capital (Blackbox, 2012). This in turn allowed me to understand the rising trend in online coursewares which I have noticed while preparing for my tests. It is clear that despite technology starting to embrace the way we learn, the learni ng tools would simply undergo a change in form, but the demand would not if society remains functionalist. In an economy highly driven by data analytics, it is of a concern that macro decisions are relying heavily on Big Data. In order for progress and positive social impact, decisions should be made from a healthy balance between quantitative and qualitative research. The problem with performing quantitative research alone is that if the prediction goes wrong, it would be difficult to justify the root cause. Figuring out the perfect algorithm or finding the right data to measure would be too inefficient and costly. Thus, a combination of quantitative and qualitative would be ideal. The recent release of a sales record breaking game GTA 5 showed how the developers shaped a huge portion of their game based on sociological understanding. By developing a co-operative concept for their online multiplayer mode, they allowed gamers to feel as if they belong to a special social group as a result of their play (Foster, 2012). It is notable that they crafted the ranking system that builds on the p layers social capital i.e. the more tasks they perform with other players, the larger their network, the wealthier they will be. I personally felt that I developed camaraderie with a stranger online in the game while we robbed a bank in-game together to progress up the ranks. It was an unprecedented experience. Moreover, their offline single-player mode shifted from single character in their previous series, to a group of characters where you could control either one of them at any one time. The developers then used data analytics to understand the demand for their online servers, and prepared themselves long beforehand, allowing them to meet the demand despite it being an record breaking number which no other gaming companies have ever successfully hosted. This balance thus prove that a pioneering technology, GTA 5 in this instance, would require complementary sociological concepts to achieve success. To understand how the societal forces affect an individual in the digital age, one possible way can be via observation of the connected world from a disconnected perspective. During my experience without the internet, I observed about 80% of passersby either holding on to their smartphones or using them. I could perceive that it was rather habitual for them to remain connected at all times. Indeed, because I was also accustomed to being constantly connected, I was able to relate to their actions and perhaps also the reasons