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Examining Digital World through Sociological Theory

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Deliverable 3: Examining Digital World through Sociological Theory

Sociology is a major aspect of our digital world, enabling us to understand ourselves

better as it examines how the social world attributes how we operate, think, and feel.

Additionally, it aids organizations in making informed decisions at an individual level. For

instance, the rapid transformative influence of digital technology has made some scholars reach

for epochal terms by figuring out the dizzying technological innovation pace, such as the current

exploitation of knowledge production through big data. Therefore, sociologists develop theories

suited to better understand the social occurrences within our society.

Define Conflict Theory

The theory examines the state of perpetual conflict arising from distinct interests with

others, asserting that societal order is maintained by power and domination rather than

conformity and consensus. The deviant behaviors that don’t comply with the social institution

whereby an institution can change status, wealth, and norms are brought into conflict with the

individual. Examples of such include pay inequalities between groups, inequality in education,

and government justice systems (Alkhaffaf et al., 2018). Regarding their view on how media and

technology, conflict theorists assert that technology contributes to reinforcing inequalities among

communities and different states. For instance, their concern is on how media support the most

powerful as well as how the disenfranchised are helped. It assumes that groups having conflicts

in interests are presumed from the resource inequalities and structural power divisions. Hence,

sociologists embrace conflict theory to frame and enhance events attributing historical events to

individualistic versus collective gender and cultural discrimination at workplaces (Alkhaffaf et

al., 2018). Therefore, conflict theory reflects how social inequalities are variant with the new

economy and digital technologies.

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Define Symbolic Interaction Theory

The theory is based on assumptions that people respond to different aspects of their

environment depending on their subjective meanings of those fundamentals (Low, 2019). For

instance, meanings are developed and modified upon social interactions attributed to symbolic

communication with others. Thus, individuals are motivated to mandate their actions based on

their meanings of objects, events, and people in the world in their perceptive.

How the Theories above would explain the technological usage and development of the

digital world, we live in now.

The digital technology and sociological theories debate on aspects of what’s legally,

socially, and morally acceptable form of practices and expression. Inequality is evident within

the digital world. The social structure is viewed as inherently unequal based on power

differentials concerning class, race, age, and gender, as presumed by conflict theorists. The

inequalities within a cultural value system can benefit some and hurt others. For instance, at the

core of conflict theory is economic production and materialism attributed to the dependence on

education and technology among developed status versus technological illiteracy and poor

education accessibility in developing nations. The ambiance of power and resources results from

unequal access to mobile devices and computers as well as the knowledge of the usability of the

technology. Conflict theories thereby look at how media is controlled and how it promotes

upper-class norms and minimizes the presence of the working class, more so the poor. For

instance, power individuals and social organizations influence how technology is released and

what media is for consumption. It creates an unbalanced political arena whereby those with the
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most money buy the most media exposure for visual presence maximization and smearing

campaigns. Therefore, technology impacts our live hoods in many aspects.

Social media usage offers many examples of social change through conflicts of values,

resources, and interests. However, according to symbolic interaction theory, meaning is created

and modified through social interaction but is not inherent in objects. The technology used by an

individual serves as a symbol for many. For example, the kind of computer one owns, the car

driven, and one's ability to access the latest products such as Samsung or Apple products can

indicate wealth and status. Technology can serve various purposes. Neo-Luddites see it as

symbolizing alienation and coldness of modern life.

In contrast, technophiles represent a brighter future, but those adopting a middle

ideological ground see it as a symbol of failure or status. Media is presumed to construct our

reality in various ways. For some, watching programs on screens can be used as a reference

aspect where one compares their success and failures. Besides, media allows competing reality

construction to appear whereby influencers can use creative ways to advertise products one

would need without prompting. Therefore, symbolic interaction theory presents how technology

can symbolize the social construction of reality and networking in the digital world.

Multiple ways in which the society has changed and what contributed to such

The increased technological advancements, demographic shifts, and other major changes

in the public sectors have attributed to changes in our society. For instance, on the technological

aspects, people have become glued to their smartphones as well as homes, increasing their

computing power and canceling their traditional cable television subscriptions. Social media

platforms have gained popularity, growing exponentially while launching new digital platforms
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such as TikTok, telegram, and Instagram. Despite the tremendous impacts, social networking

sites have allegedly been used to organize anti-government movements globally. Additionally,

social media has bolstered a threat to democracy; for instance, referring to the 2016 US

presidential elections, it's presumed that Russia used Facebook and other media outlets to convey

misinformation and discord among voters (Offermann & Coats, 2018).

The aspect of climate change and its effects have become very real, with debates being

attributed to addressing and providing mitigation interventions to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions. Despite numerous international efforts, it’s still a partisan issue as countries haven't

taken enough steps to combat and reduce the significant attributes of climate change. For

instance, the crisis is a major cause of people fleeing their homes. Therefore, serious

interventions and actions with future generations need to be effectively conceptualized to ensure

the utmost service provision.

Increased migration crisis globally attributed to civil war due to political, social, and

economic instability making migrants seek refuge in other states (Offermann & Coats, 2018).

Despite other countries pledging to welcome the refugees, other nations have turned away

asylum seekers. Besides, recently the Russia Ukraine invasion has been causing tension among

the affected groups creating commotions at surrounding border points as refugees seek asylum in

other states. Finally, the conversations about sex and power with several allegations of sexual

harassment and abuse were caused at the hands of powerful men. As well as countries grappling

with LGBTQ rights and representation of their members in serving different occupations such as

the military causing issues.

Examples of technological growth and change over the past several decades
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The technological advancements have attributed to the large transition of major sectors

such as healthcare, climate action, and media over the past decades have seen several tech trends.

The transformations have resulted in major shifts in the global market economies. Social values

and how interconnections are attributed to the few advancements. For instance, big data has been

implemented in many institutions extracting knowledge from data for operational use. At the

same time, corporations execute Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, social media, e-

commerce, and Machine Learning (ML) for smooth business operations (Grewal et al., 2020).

Technology-enabled innovations are essential spurs to organizational and societal productivity.

Additionally, technological advances have been incorporated into the scientific sector to solve

problems by creating important applications and tools of the highest sustainability to enhance

economic growth and increase employment opportunities over the past decades.

Correlations between technological existence and changes in organizational and society

The tremendous innovations in the technological world and the proliferation of

transnational corporations are driving information of the digital and global economy that might

conflict with the societal views and perceptions son such attributes. Digital technologies are

changing many social activities as well as economies. For instance, modern technology has

shaped the use of multi-functional devices like smartphones and smartwatches, and computers

are becoming faster and more portable, and highly powered than before (Fang et al., 2019). The

technological revolutions have made our lives easier, better, and more fun than in past decades.

Further, innovations make it possible to produce more improved output from societies' available

resources, capital, and labor to maximize maximum productivity leading to a rise in prosperity

and living standards.

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Digital divide

The gap between households, individuals, businesses, and geographic areas at different

social and economic inequalities concerning their opportunities to access information and

communication technologies and how they incorporate the internet to manage various activities

(Fang et al., 2019). The gap includes numerous factors such as quality, relevance, access, and

affordability, creating the socio-economic levels.

Factors that Create Digital Divide

 Socio-economic status: Low literacy and income levels might hinder one from accessing

digital technologies due to their financial state and surrounding community (Fang et al.,

2019).

 Location: Geographical restrictions hugely contribute to digital technologies usage

making it hard for individuals to use the information and communication tools. For

instance, millions of people have limited access to high-speed internet in the US.

 Personal interest: Lack of motivation to purchase information technology tools despite

having the appropriate resources, from financial backing to user knowledge.

 Age: Digital illiteracy might arise due to age making it hard for one to access, utilize and

respond to a certain information outlay (Fang et al., 2019).

Ways to Combat Digital Divide

 Gaps identification and advocating for change through inviting different stakeholders to

ensure effective solutions are addressed.

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 Enhancing digital proficiency through laying programs to help people navigate the digital

world shaped by the degree of skepticism, political tolerance, educational levels, and

demographic profiles about news sourced from social media (Fang et al., 2019).

 Enhancing maximum inclusivity by ensuring affordability of broadband, fair distribution

of broadband across different income groups, and actual internet usage at broadband

speeds.

 Creating a better infrastructure with better internet speeds, smartphone usage, and

terrestrial broadband usage (Fang et al., 2019).

Digital Divide Application to ABC Corp Scenario

The digital drive impacts how a variety of different sectors and industries operate and the

final user. Customers' shopping experiences start when they are logged on social media platforms

to purchase and wait for delivery. The digital divide will be effective for ABC to create a better-

improved platform network to ensure they don't lose customers by linking in-store and online

sales channels to ensure those who visit the firm's website to browser and leave without

purchasing can still make their order physical the firm’s stores. Thus, balancing digital

capabilities and physical store capabilities creates a platform that addresses all aspects within the

firm’s capacity to deliver as required.

Theoretical perspective best applied in ABC store

The best theoretical approach advocates for conflict theory in ABC's online store

expansion. The suggestion behind conflict theory is to create a social structure within the firm

that addresses all factors like class, age, gender, and race and promotes equality within the

organizational culture's value systems to enhance inclusivity. The competition over the
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company's resources will reminisce how consumers use the digital technologies to make product

ad service purchases online and how such reflects societal inequalities. The inequalities might

attribute to uneven product distribution of orders made by consumers. Thereby, differing from

the firm's focus on the creation and reproduction of inequality, the firm can advocate for better-

improved services by incorporating the aspect in their store operation forsooth service and

product delivery.
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References

Alkhaffaf, H. H. K., Idris, K. M., Abdullah, A., & Al-Aidaros, A. H. (2018). The influence of

technology readiness on information technology competencies and civil conflict

environment. Indian-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Finance, 2(2), 51-64.

Fang, M. L., Canham, S. L., Battersby, L., Sixsmith, J., Wada, M., & Sixsmith, A. (2019).

Exploring privilege in the digital divide: implications for theory, policy, and practice. The

Gerontologist, 59(1), e1-e15.

Grewal, D., Noble, S. M., Roggeveen, A. L., & Nordfalt, J. (2020). The future of in-store

technology. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 96-113.

Low, J. (2019). A pragmatic definition of the concept of theoretical saturation. Sociological

Focus, 52(2), 131-139.

Offermann, L. R., & Coats, M. R. (2018). Implicit theories of leadership: Stability and change

over two decades. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(4), 513-522.