Quiz content and assessment methods

¶ … social interaction? Social interaction is the particular conventions and norms associated with people when they interact with one another. Social interaction oftentimes involves routine and repeated patterns of behavior, such as waking up at a certain time of the day or travelling to and from a destination at the same time -- in the same way -- as part of one's daily routine. Social interaction takes place both in the physical and the virtual (online) world. In the physical world, social interaction may involve non-verbal communication such as gestures and different types of facial expressions. Quite often, the height of social interaction is expressed via verbal communication in the physical world -- in which people readily exchange emotions, sentiments, and ideas with one another which are both determined by and influence the particular location of and form of social interaction involved. It is critical to note that non-verbal communication is used even in forms of virtual social interactions such as text messages on phones and email or chat room "conversations," in which people use characters that mimic various symbols of the face. Social interaction is also based on social roles and an individual status, terms which relate to social expectations and a person's standing within society, respectively (Giddens, 2011, p. 100). Status is also closely related to one's social position; one of the interesting things about social interaction is that it allows for one's social position and status to change.

What are social groups? The best definition of a social group is "a collection of people who share a common identity and regularly interact with one another on the basis of shared expectations concerning behavior (Giddens, 2011, p. 117). Social groups can take on many different forms, however. Social aggregates are people who are linked together for a common cause, such as people waiting on the same train. There are also social categories, in which people are in the same sort of social group in different places and times. One of the most important things to remember about social groups is that people belong to multiple groups, simultaneously, in fact. Certain group affiliations pertain to physics in terms of time and space, others, such as familial ties or nationalities, genders, and religions are more enduring. Examples of primary groups include romantic relationships and families, whereas examples of secondary groups include jobs and other sorts of memberships that are temporally finite. Generally, however, primary groups last indefinite, whereas secondary groups are subject to change (Giddens, 2011, p. 121).

On a rudimentary level, groups are formed as dyads (two-people groups) and triads (three-people groups) (Ritzer, 2007). The thing about such groups is that although there is a high degree of interaction between the members, such groups are relatively unstable, particularly when compared to larger groups, which have more members and therefore tend to last longer.

How do we benefit from social networks? Social networks are connections between a person and individuals or groups. Frequently, social networks can help to advance people in a certain pursuit, whether that is to earn a specific type of job or to sell a car. Social networks are important because they show the connections between people that allow for some degree of social mobility. This concept ties in to social interaction and social groups, in which the author of this document stated that people can change their social status and standing. One of the ways that they can do so is through the means of a social network.

It is critical to realize that social networks exist at both the personal and group/organizational level. In both types of networks individuals play substantial roles, although in the latter there is a greater propensity for others to influence the outcome of a group of people, as opposed to just one person. One of the advantages of the internet is the fact that people can establish social networks virtually, which offer many of the same benefits of social networks in the physical world. Such networks are largely enhanced by the means of social media websites, such as Facebook or YouTube. It is also possible to have professional networks of contacts and people with whom one has a relationship with. Again, there are web sites that specialize in this form of a network, such as Linked in.

Ultimately, people benefit from these networks by being able to take advantage of the opportunities and insights that they might not otherwise have been aware of if someone in their network had not told them about it (How Social Contagion, 2004). Social networks allow a person to vastly extend his or her resources.

What is deviant behavior? Deviant behavior is behavior that is considered the opposite of behavior that is characterized as conforming to some sort of a social norm. However, as there are many different social groups within society as a whole, the definition of what is considered deviant and what is considered normative or conforming behavior switches and may even conflict between groups. Circumstances help to determine what sort of behavior is considered deviant as much as it does that which is considered conforming. In general, legislation and laws help to set standards for social behavior. Any behavior that is at variance with those laws, let alone that which contradicts it, can be considered deviant and is frequently punishable by law enforcement.

However, there are a number of sociological factors that effectively influence what sort of behavior is deemed deviant for a particular social group (Giddens, 2011, p. 151). For a group of young men within inner city American who are routinely discriminated against and come from a low economic standing, selling illegal narcotics may be considered a type of social norm. In this setting, amongst such people in desperate economic downturns (such as those which currently exist) not selling drugs to put food on the table may be considered deviant. Thus, there are a host of factors that determine just what deviant behavior is. This term is largely relative and greatly affected by social groups and external factors pertaining to society such as social status and economic issues. But as a general definition, deviant behavior is that which does not conform to established social normative values.