The Real vs the Perceived

¶ … Non-Material Culture It is indeed a fact that the material and non-material culture are basically separate. However, to leave things alone by saying that would be factually wrong. For example, there are many things that take on material and non-material forms (sometimes at the same time) and there are also some strong interactions between the material culture world and that of the non-material culture world. Indeed, one can throw words around like perception, power and prestige.

Many of those words are quite easily tied to the material culture as that is commonly a way they manifested. However, there are some non-material manifestations as well and those need to be recognized. While it is easy to say that culture is all about what one has (or does not have) in terms of material possessions, it is not nearly that simple. Analysis The author of this response alluded to the fact that the material and non-material culture bounce off of and influence one another.

To be precise, the author of this report will focus on money and its many forms and uses. Indeed, one could point to a Ferrari or a Lamborghini vehicle. In many to most cases, those cars cost well into the six figures to buy. However, one has to ask the question .. do they cost that much to make? Of course, the answer is no. Further, one has to ask why someone would spend a quarter million dollars on a car.

Of course, the car itself is part of the material culture but the answer to the question of why people spend that much on cars comes from the non-material culture. Owning and driving a Ferrari or Lamborghini is about status, prestige and showing off wealth. In much the same way (although to a lesser degree), the same applies to fancy watches, fancy clothes and jewelry (DeBord, 2015). Technology brings a new paradigm when it comes to the lines and correlations that exist between the material and non-material culture.

Indeed, there are some situations and examples where the material and non-material culture become meshed together and perhaps indistinguishable from one another. One example would be people with online profiles that act like they are rich and powerful. Some may see that person and become envious and jealous. However, all of that showboating may just be a faAade but that is not the appearance that is given. Even so, it is a clear example of material and non-material culture in many ways being one and the same.

Another example would be the fact that money is very much digital and non-physical nowadays. To be sure, actual money is part of the material culture because it is used to buy goods and services. However, so many transactions nowadays are executed with absolutely nothing changing hands in the literal sense but there has been an exchange of money, at the very least. In the same vein, one could point to bank accounts and investment balances in general.

They represent money and perhaps power but they are just 1's and 0's unless or until there is real cash in hand or physical items gained through the use of that cash. As a real-world example, Greek banks have recently been very close to running out of physical cash and that will obviously.