Symbolic Interactionism In Starbucks
Life is a Stage and all of us are Merely Players, Acting out our Parts
Symbolic interactionism is one of the leading sociological theories having a long intellectual history dating back to the American philosopher George Herbert Mead. Symbolic interactionism centers on the study of connections between the individual (micro-level) and larger social structures. The goal of symbolic interactionism is to illustrate how shared meaning is created. The theory explains that we all have our own sense of what is real and what is not and that we acquire these symbols of reality from or interactions with others. In sum, the theory suggests that we modify these meanings in our mind and then act based on the symbols of reality that we have constructed.
The Starbucks at Carleton University inside the MacOdrum Library was busy in the late afternoon of Tuesday the 17th of November. Upon entering the Starbucks, I decided to sit at a booth toward the front of the restaurant with my back against the wall. This position allowed me to …show more content…
That being, Starbucks holds both an “elite” and “cool” status, in which there is a certain type of meaning attached to Starbucks. This status is associated with prestige and wealth due to the pricey beverages and products being sold. In addition, there is the notion that Starbucks is the place to be and if you go or purchase products from there then you are considered “cool.” Moreover, this status is a type of non-verbal social communication. This social question is associated with status and social position which takes the form of status cues, which are visual indicators of a person’s social position. This type of “status” can cause one to develop a self image—which consists of one’s ideas and attitudes of who they are— in which they perceive themselves as holding more status than those who do not go to
Symbolic interactionism is one of the leading sociological theories having a long intellectual history dating back to the American philosopher George Herbert Mead. Symbolic interactionism centers on the study of connections between the individual (micro-level) and larger social structures. The goal of symbolic interactionism is to illustrate how shared meaning is created. The theory explains that we all have our own sense of what is real and what is not and that we acquire these symbols of reality from or interactions with others. In sum, the theory suggests that we modify these meanings in our mind and then act based on the symbols of reality that we have constructed.
The Starbucks at Carleton University inside the MacOdrum Library was busy in the late afternoon of Tuesday the 17th of November. Upon entering the Starbucks, I decided to sit at a booth toward the front of the restaurant with my back against the wall. This position allowed me to …show more content…
That being, Starbucks holds both an “elite” and “cool” status, in which there is a certain type of meaning attached to Starbucks. This status is associated with prestige and wealth due to the pricey beverages and products being sold. In addition, there is the notion that Starbucks is the place to be and if you go or purchase products from there then you are considered “cool.” Moreover, this status is a type of non-verbal social communication. This social question is associated with status and social position which takes the form of status cues, which are visual indicators of a person’s social position. This type of “status” can cause one to develop a self image—which consists of one’s ideas and attitudes of who they are— in which they perceive themselves as holding more status than those who do not go to