The Social Self is a multifaceted analysis of the self-concept based on the social nature of the self. It is categorized into three sub-dimensions which are the cultural self, the socio-digital self, and the material/ economic self.
The Cultural Self
The cultural self tackles how the socio-cultural aspects (from the microsystem to macrosystem) influence one's development as they age and grow. It also highlights different factors such as the social, environmental, biological and other life factors which are essential contributors to the development of oneself. Cultural Self is the combination of social aspects affecting oneself starting from inside the house which is the family up to the social groups outside the community which culturally affects one's growth. As we grow older, our world perspectives get bigger, we will be able to meet new people and get exposed to the different formal set of standards that the world has to offer. The Cultural Self of a person is the uniqueness of the combination of different adapted cultures into one personality, it is therefore complicated and interesting how can a single person adopt so many different cultural practices and turn it into their own, as a part of themselves.
Microsystem refers to institutions and social groups that the individual has direct contact interaction with, including families, peers, schools, religious institutions, and the immediate neighborhood. On the other hand, Macrosystem refers to the interconnections among aspects of the microsystems that impact on the individual concerned. These two systems are rather different and yet very related, a person can have interaction with different people and create their own sets of microsystems and connect more in order to create their own macrosystem from the interconnections of their connections.
The Bioecological Systems Theory which is the latest model of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems of Development that explains an individual’s social development, using biological, environmental, and ecological lenses. The theory explains the bidirectional influence of individuals and systems to each other and posits five specific systems that shape an individual’s progress. These are microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. These systems might have different ways of connecting person to other person but the main similarity of these systems is that they were identified in order to build stronger connections, or rather they were the identified outcomes from stong connections that were already established by the people from different communities.
I have learned that the cultural self as one of the dimensions of the social self is very important in a person's life, simply because it doesn't only help in the development of one personality but in many unique personalities blending in the crowd of people. Each person in a crowd have adapted into different cultures which made them culturally unique, despite having lots of similarities with the cultural learnings of other people, they could never have the exact same order or same sets of cultural learnings and that's what makes them more beautiful as people. The more they adapt, the more they meet new people, and the more they meet new people, the more they learn about new cultures. I have once read about a saying that "One is all, and all is one." we are part of a whole and we are important in the balance of the world, no matter how small like an ant or as big as an elephant, everyone and everything is connected into one another, the law of equilibrium everything has a certain equivalent, everything has a value and everyone is significant in this world. This sayings made me have such realizations, such as meeting different people is inevitable and is already destined to happen one way or another, each people will contribute a lesson or two in one's life, the more we interact the more we learn, and the more we learn, the more we grow as a person.
The Socio-Digital Self
At present, our generation has been totally controlled by the rise of technology, our way of socializing with other people has significantly changed. Before, we're fond of personally interacting and communicating with other people whenever we wanted to talk to them, but now, whenever you have something to say to someone, technology will act as a median and let you communicate with other people without actually interacting with them physically. The power of social media which became the norm of communication of today's generation.
Digital Identity became the alternative for the role identity of a person with the presence of the internet. Digital idenitity often becomes the hidden identity or alternative identity of a person, because behind the social media you can make up identities and pretend online or you can show what you truly feel about yourself without showing your real identity in real life. Internet gives people a whole new world, but then it also make people isolate themselves or separate themselves from their physical self while engaging in social media.
I've learned in this unit about the Online disinhibition effect by Suler (2004) which is categorized into Benign disinhibition and toxic disinhibition. Benign disinhibition includes behavior wherein people tend to self-disclose more on the internet than they would in real life. On the other hand, toxic disinhibition includes behavior where people tend to use rude language, threats, partonize pornography, crime, and violent contents on the internet. These two online disinhibition were the general description of the good and the evil for me, because in this world we need to accept the reality that there are people who were naturally good and sadly but there were also people who were purely evil. With or without internet, crimes happens everywhere around the world, and this Technology makes people dive into madness, some who craves for new information and development, some who intended to make their new world online, and some who uses technology to take advantage of other people. Sadly as it may seem, but I think that Technology is comparable into a two edged sword, the more we learn and innovate, the more the country suffers in much even crucial ways. Nowadays you can degrade people online, you can promote people online, you can make fake identities, everything now is full of uncertainess because lots of people behind their gadgets usually tends to go with the trends whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.
Technology, especially the internet can either save the world now or further destroy it. I believe that people can commit more crimes online, schemes and hurting of other people, and it is scary that it all happens now digitally with the help of technology. "Think before you click" the most common phrase when it comes to posting something online or doing something online, because on click can either save a life or rather destroy it forever.
Invisible by Hunter Hayes
The material or the economic self is basically the definition of privilege of a person when it comes to material things and social economic status.
The Material/Economic Self
People commonly misinterprets wants with their needs, and it is also true that most of the material things that we possess were not the things that we need. Our gadgets, possessions, properties and belongings tells a lot about ourselves. It became a norm to separate people base on their economic capabilities, sadly but it's true, that due to economical status, people tend to feel power equivalent to the amount of money they have. It became a measurement of a person's worth sometimes, which is a bad interpretation.
I've learned in this chapter of the social self that people's privileges can be determined from their material possessions and properties, from their choice of branded things. Everyone will always be greater than the other at some point, in terms of monetarial status, people can never be equal but it will be up to them how to cope up with that indifferences. People can use their money wisely and practically but then privileged people tend to use their money for own betterment and satisfaction only which is sometimes considerable if it's from their own hard work. But people who grew from rich families usually thinks that their better than those who grew up poor, economic self is power, but it should not be use the way most of privileged people use it but rather they must learn that not everyone is as capable as them. The percentage of rich people in a country's population is always the smallest, and yet they think that they're bigger than the others due to their status. "Money is the root cause of evil." this saying is becoming true based on my perspectives, politicians corrupts money, it is the the greater urge to have more, the more you want, the more you seek for more and then you'll never get contentment, you'd even do evil things to get money just like what corrupt politicians do. I'm thankful that I grew up poor and learned about the value of money, appreciation of simple things, and empathy for other people who cannot provide. The more you appreciate the importance of money, the more you learn how to be contented with simple things, and with that simple contentment, you can give more opportunites for other people who needs more in life than you do.
Chasing money all your life will never give you true happiness, so treasure every moment, have fun and enjoy things that life has to offer because money will always be there, but you're not gonna stay alive forever.
"Trust the one
Who's been where you are wishing all it was
Was sticks and stones
Those words cut deep but they don't mean you're all alone
And you're not invisible
Hear me out,
There's so much more to life than what you're feeling now
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