ACTIVITIES
Lost Boys and Cultural Influences on Perception
Watch the following video while paying close attention to how the young men from Sudan perceive American culture. How has their cultural upbringing affected their perceptions of American culture? How might they overcome some of those perceptions?
Then watch this follow-up video, and pay close attention to the way some of the men have attempted to adapt to American culture, while others have resisted. Compare and contrast these efforts.
Getting to Know You
Describe some positive and negative aspects of being introverted, extroverted, or ambiverted. How would you categorize yourself on this dimension? Are you an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert (a combination of the two)? After reflecting on which description best suits your personality, take the test to see how you fare.
Media Influence on Self-Perception
After watching this video from the Dove campaign on real beauty, answer the following questions.
How might media images have affected these women’s perceptions of themselves? How would you describe yourself to a sketch artist? Generally, how have media images influenced this self-portrait? Specifically, how have specific instances of social comparison and reflected appraisal influenced your self-esteem?
Dove’s investigation focused on women’s self-perception. What if men were to participate in this social experiment? How would the results and the portraits compare to those produced by women? How might male media images affect their self-perception?
The video implies that we may perceive our appearance more harshly than others. As discussed in the text, however, research indicates that people tend to be affected by a self-serving bias, judging themselves more favorably than others. Is this a contradiction in the research, or are these phenomena contextual?
Identity Management and Facework
Identity management is a constant and complex affair that employs a number of strategies to influence how others view us and how others are viewed[EP1]. This requires asserting and maintaining diverse identities at different times, intentionally presenting and/or withholding parts of ourselves, and using high and/or low self-monitoring. Provide three examples of identity management and facework, noting when, where, why, what, who, and how.
Importance of Social Media and Identity
Consider the following infographics, particularly “The Digital You . . . matters.”
Do these numbers surprise you? Would you be inclined to share your public social media identities with a potential employer? Are you comfortable with the fact that employers, friends, or potential dates look up information about you on social media? How often do you look up new friends or colleagues before getting to know them well in person?
FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION
TED Talk
Tali Sharot: “The Optimism Bias”
Films
(For further discussion of these and other films that illustrate communication concepts, see Now Playing.)
Florence Foster Jenkins(2016, Rated PG-13)
Communication Concepts: identity management, self-concept, facework, frame switching
The Great Gatsby(2013, Rated PG-13)
Communication Concepts: identity management, relational messages, nonverbal communication
Easy A (2010, Rated PG-13)
Communication Concepts: identity management, facework, computer-mediated communication
Books
boyd, dana. 2014. It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven: Yale University Press.
boyd’s meticulously researched exploration of teen identity management and development through social media reveals new insights while dispelling a number of popular myths about this demographic of digital natives.
Journal Articles
Wilcox, K., & Stephen, A. T. (2013). Are close friends the enemy? Online social networks, self-esteem, and self-control.Journal of Consumer Research,40, 90–103.
Abstract:Online social networks are used by hundreds of millions of people every day, but little is known about their effect on behavior. In five experiments, the authors demonstrate that social network use enhances self-esteem in users who are focused on close friends (i.e., strong ties) while browsing their social network. This momentary increase in self-esteem reduces self-control, leading those focused on strong ties to display less self-control after browsing a social network. Additionally, the authors present evidence suggesting that greater social network use is associated with a higher body mass index and higher levels of credit card debt for individuals with strong ties to their social network. This research extends previous findings by demonstrating that social networks primarily enhance self-esteem for those focused on strong ties during social network use. Additionally, this research has implications for policy makers because self-control is an important mechanism for maintaining social order and well-being.
Ragins, B. R. (2008). Disclosure disconnects: Antecedents and consequences of disclosing invisible stigmas across life domains. Academy of Management Review, 33, 194–215.
Abstract:This article broadens our perspective of stigma by examining the process of disclosing an invisible stigmatized identity in work and nonwork domains. I present a model that examines the effects of individual and environmental factors on disclosure decisions across life domains. Individuals may disclose their stigma to varying degrees across life domains, and this inconsistency leads to disclosure disconnects. I examine psychological states and outcomes associated with disclosure disconnects and offer directions for future research.
Benet-Martínez, V., Leu, J., Lee, F., & Morris, M. (2002). Negotiating biculturalism: Cultural frame switching in biculturals with oppositional versus compatible cultural identities. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33, 492–516.
Abstract: The authors propose that cultural frame shifting—shifting between two culturally based interpretative lenses in response to cultural cues—is moderated by perceived compatibility (vs. opposition) between the two cultural orientations, or bicultural identity integration (BII). Three studies found that Chinese American biculturals who perceived their cultural identities as compatible (high BII) responded in culturally congruent ways to cultural cues: They made more external attributions (a characteristically Asian behavior) after being exposed to Chinese primes and more internal attributions (a characteristically Western behavior) after being exposed to American primes. However, Chinese American biculturals who perceived their cultural identities as oppositional (low BII) exhibited a reverse priming effect. This trend was not apparent for noncultural primes. The results show that individual differences in bicultural identity affect how cultural knowledge is used to interpret social events.
[EP1]AQ: Howwe judge others?