Problem:
In response to your peers, discuss whether or not you agree with your peers' assessment of how the norm influences the social role, or build on their posts to describe an additional social role related to the norm they discussed.
The agent of socialization that I want to focus on in this discussion is the media. In my experiences growing up and even observing the things I see younger generations watch, the media definitely has a significant impact on how children view and are exposed to gender roles through shows and, more specifically, toy advertisements in regard to this week's article reading. It's not far-fetched to conclude that certain toys, actions, and activities are socially aligned with gender. Boys would be seen in advertisements playing with toy cars, action figures, and sports, while girls would be seen playing with dolls, toy kitchen sets, and makeup. I can speak for my younger self; when I would see these generalized boxes of interests regarding gender, it did make me believe that certain things were for girls rather than boys, even if I did find interest in a "girl" toy.
Also, I do find this topic interesting in how this mindset is developed over time due to the media presentation. This can be observed outside of seeing ads and commercials on television, phones, or tablets. Visualize yourself walking into the toy section of a store you visit often. More than likely, you will notice that the toys are organized in a particular way that depicts a separation in which gender plays with a certain kind of toy. This ultimately aids in the social embedding of defining gender roles very early on for children. In our reading for this week, the topic of constant exposure leading to general socialization is discussed, and this topic is a clear indication of that. Reflecting on this topic more personally, I would have many action figures growing up, and I deemed it as a norm for boys to have those primarily, due to what I've seen in media and the responses of my family and friends seeing me with these toys. I did, however, find a lot of interest in "girl" toys, such as dolls and makeup, at a very young age but was not comfortable enough to ask my family to get those things for me to avoid feeling abnormal and judged for having a different interest than what is socially acceptable.
In a more general sense, I believe these socializations can and have led children to only see themselves in certain capacities later in life; if the media continues to encourage boys and girls to play with toys that align with their gender socially, this might influence their viewpoints and interests in future occupations and roles in society. Need Assignment Help?