Post 6: Socialization

Socialization is the process by which a society, culture, or social group teaches individuals to become functioning members, and the process by which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of the group. It works on both a social and individual level because once you learn you group's way of life, you then personalize it to make it your own. The purpose of socialization is twofold: to teach members basic human needs, and for individuals to learn of their shared way of life
The answer to the age old debate on whether it is our genetic makeup (nature) or social interactions (nurture) that makes us who we are is simple: it's both. While it is nature that gives us a basic idea of who we as an individual, ultimately it is how we are nurtured that lets us become who we are. Human behavior is learned and shaped through social interaction. Affecting the nurture process are whats called agents of socialization, or "people and groups that influence our self-concept, emotions, attitudes, and behavior..." (Agents of Socialization). Examples include family, mass media, religion, school, peers, sports, and the workplace.
Many agents of socialization affect my family and I. For example, my brother, my dad, and I are what my dad likes call "power users," or people with the ability to use, understand, and explore more advanced technology and technological features of programs than the an average user. The agent of socialization that affects my brother and I in this way is mass media. Due to the fact that we were born in the age of technology, we have grown accustomed to using it. Whereas my mom, who didn't grow up with as much technological influence as we did, struggles with it more than we do. But my dad was born around the same time as my mom and yet he doesn't have as hard of a time as she does. This is because my dad is the information technologies director at a real estate management company. Because of his occupation, or his workplace, my dad had more advanced technological abilities than my mom.