C. Wright Mills and sociological theory

CW Mills

Contemporary life presents a set of paradoxes that can be resolved through what C.W. Mills calls the sociological imagination. Mills makes a distinction between the inner world and the outer, highlighting the conflicts that can arise between the two. According to Mills, the predominance of the private world sometimes creates a sense of alienation from the public world. To develop a sociological imagination is to reconnect the private with the public. Placing a person in one's historical, cultural, and social context means developing a greater understanding of both psychology at the individual level and sociology at the collective.

The presence of an online universe characterizes the points of distinction, conflict, and convergence between the public and the private. On the one hand, the Internet can create a universe that is self-obsessed, narrow, and narcissistic. As Mills puts it, "private lives are a series of traps" when the person becomes too disconnected from the sociological imagination (p. 3). The Internet has the potential to ensnare a person's psyche, which is why Internet addiction is sometimes pathologized and presented as a problem unique to the modern world. Whether porn or multi-player role-playing games, the Internet offers a slew of activities that offer the illusion of connectivity. Thus, the individual feels a temporary sense of well-being. Mills notes that psychological well-being results when the individual's value system remains unthreatened. In the case of the game-playing and porn-loving set, the values of preservation of privacy are maintained and unthreatened. The person can remain in his or her pajamas all day long, smoke weed, and never leave the house. Until the online activities interfere with external duties, the value system is unchecked.

When the value system is challenged -- by a phone call from work or mom -- the person's online universe is shattered temporarily. As Mills points out, threats to the individual value system cause a degree of stress. How the person deals with that stress can make a great difference to re-establishing that person's sense of self and place in the world. Thus, Mills advocates the development of the sociological imagination to stimulate a renewed interest in the world. Ironically, the Internet helps with this too. The Internet can create a more insular self and society. Or, the Internet can create a society that is linked together by intellectually curious individuals.