Sociology Case

According to our textbook Introduction to Sociology, social interaction is defined as, "the process by which we act and react to those around us." Globalization is "the development of social and economic relationships stretching worldwide." These two aspects of sociology were the most prominent concepts that I noticed while analyzing this article.

Social networking sites were developed with the intent of allowing people to communicate with each other even if they are on the other side of the world. This new form of social interaction, according to German researchers, could lead some people to develop "feelings of misery and loneliness." As a result of this globalization, people have discovered a way to envy others without ever physically being around them.

The article, "Facebook Study Says Envy Is Rampant On The Social Network," unearths the issues that can arise as a result of engaging in the use of a social network. It concluded that vacation photos were the most envied and led to feelings of resentment. The research reported also found that women were more inclined to be envious of another person's physical appearance or attributes. These findings reinforce the importance of social interaction because it shows us that what we see on the internet can affect how we perceive ourselves. Social interaction is an important component in maintaining good self-esteem because it gives us something other than a cyber viewpoint. It allows us to see people for who they really are, rather than focusing on what we see via the internet and Facebook.

The globalization of social networking is made extremely apparent simply by the fact that this research was conducted in Germany. Many (not all) people would agree that the use of social networking became more widespread after Mark Zuckerburg, an American, created Facebook. Social interaction between people was forever changed by the invention of sites such as Facebook. It made almost anything you ever wanted to know about someone, a public piece of information. All it takes for someone to retrieve this information is the click of a button.

This article was particularly interesting to me because it shows people the effects of social media on self-esteem and personal image of oneself. It allows us to see how much we have evolved into a society that relies on the approval of others and how rejection leads to problems psychologically and beyond.

In conclusion, I found this article to be a great example of just a couple of the many ideas that are discussed throughout our textbook. It was a great example of how globalization and social interaction play a vital role in the world of social media and sociology in general.

References

Goldsmith, Belinda. "Facebook Study Says Envy Is Rampant On the Social Network." Huffington Post [New York] 22 January 2013, n. pag. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

Giddens,