INSTITUTIONS OF SOCIETY

A social institution is an established practice, tradition, behavior, or system of roles and relationships
that is considered a normative structure or arrangement within a society.

Bogardus – “A social institution is a structure of society that is organized to meet the needs of
people chiefly through well established procedures.”

H. E. Barnes – “Social institutions are the social structure & machinery through which human society
organizes, directs & executes the multifarious activities required to society for human need.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOCIETY:
1. They are enduring and stable.
2. They serve a purpose, ideally providing better chances for human survival and flourishing.
3. They have roles that need to be filled.
4. Governing the behavior and expectations of sets of individuals within a given community.
5. The rules that govern them are usually ingrained in the basic cultural values of a society, as
each institution consists of a complex cluster of social norms.

They also serve general functions, including:

1. Allocating resources
2. Creating meaning
3. Maintaining order
4. Growing society and its influence

5 MAJOR INSTITUTIONS OF A SOCIETY

The five major social institutions in sociology are family, education, religion, government (political),
and the economy.

1. Family
The family is one of the most important social institutions. It is considered a “building block”
of society because it is the primary unit through which socialization occurs.

It is a social unit created by blood, marriage, or adoption, and can be described as nuclear,
consisting of two parents and their children, or extended, encompassing other relatives.
Although families differ widely around the world, families across cultures share certain
common concerns in their everyday lives (Little & McGivern, 2020).

As a social institution, the family serves numerous, multifaceted functions. The family
socializes its members by teaching them values, beliefs, and norms.

It also provides emotional support and economic stability. In some cases, the family may
even act as a caretaker if one of its members is sick or disabled (Little & McGivern, 2020).
Historically, the family has been the central social institution of western societies. However,
more recently, as sociologists have observed, other social institutions have taken the place of
the family in providing key functions, as family sizes have shrunk and provided more distant
ties.

2. Education

E. Durkheim – “education can be conceived as the socialization of the younger generation. It

is a continuous effort to impose on the child ways of seeing, feeling and acting which he
could not arrived at spontaneously.”
John J. Macionis – “Education is the social institution through which society provides its
members with important knowledge, including basic facts, jobs, skills & cultural norms &
values .”
As a social institution, education helps to socialize children and young adults by teaching
them the norms, values, and beliefs of their culture. It also transmits cultural heritage from
one generation to the next. Education also provides people with the skills and knowledge they
need to function in society.
Generally, a country”s wealth is directly proportional to the quality of its educational system.
For example, in poor countries, education may be seen as a luxury that only the wealthy can
afford, while in rich countries, education is more accessible to a wider range of people.
This is because, in poorer countries, money is often spent on more pressing needs such as
food and shelter, diminishing financial and time investments in education (Little &
McGivern, 2016).

3. Religion

Religion is another social institution that plays a significant role in society. It is an organized
system of beliefs and practices designed to fill the human need for meaning and purpose
(Durkheim, 1915).
According to Durkheim, “Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to
sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden.”
According to Ogburn, “Religion is an attitude towards superhuman powers.”
Religion can be used to instill moral values and socialize individuals into a community.
Religion plays a significant role in shaping the way people view themselves and the world
around them.
Max Weber, for example, believed that religion could be a force for social change, while Karl
Marx viewed religion as a tool used by capitalist societies to perpetuate inequality (Little &
McGivern, 2016).

4. Government

The government is another social institution that plays a vital role in society. It is responsible
for maintaining order, protecting citizens from harm, and providing for the common good.
The government does this through its various sub-institutions and agencies, such as the
police, the military, and the courts. These legal institutions regulate society and prevent crime
by enforcing law and policy.
The government also provides social services, such as education and healthcare, ensuring the
general welfare of a country or region”s citizens (Little & McGivern, 2016).
 5. Economy

The economy is a social institution that is responsible for the production and distribution of
goods and services. It is also responsible for the exchange of money and other resources.
The economy is often divided into three sectors: the primary sector, the secondary sector, and
the tertiary sector (Little & McGivern, 2016).
The primary sector includes all industries that are concerned with the extraction and
production of natural resources, such as agriculture, forestry, fishing, and mining.
The secondary sector includes all industries that are concerned with the processing of raw
materials into finished products, such as manufacturing and construction.
The tertiary sector includes all industries that provide services to individuals and businesses,
such as education, healthcare, and tourism (Little & McGivern, 2016).

6. Media as a Social Institution:

According to Silverblatt (2004) media is a social institution and” a social institution is an

organization that is critical to the socialization process; it provides a support system for
individuals as they struggle to become members of a larger social network

Mass media have emerged as a social institution, assuming many of the functions formerly
served by traditional social institutions such as the church, school, government, and family.
However, in Western countries operating on the private-ownership model (most notably the
United States), media systems were never intended to serve as a social institution. Instead, the
primary objective of a privately owned media organization is to make a profit for the
company. Thus, many films, television programs, and Web sites contain sexual and violent
content designed to attract the largest imaginable audience. The messages contained in these
programs can be confusing or disruptive to a public looking to the media for direction,
purpose, and meaning. Therefore, the public’s reliance on the Western media for guidance
and support can be dangerous. Within this context, media literacy provides strategies that
enable people to critically examine media messages and put media programming into
meaningful perspective.
Media gives information about the happenings in the society and by giving the information
media is socializing the members of the society. Media educates the members of the society
about the social issues and it is also creating awareness about the importance of the issues in
our society. Media is changing the lifestyle of people. Media is changing the thinking level
of people. Media is creating a fashion sense among people. Media is building up a society.
Media can change political views. Media can promote social movements. Media is creating
awareness among individuals about their voting rights. The media is telling about
international issues. All above mentioned are the functions of media as a social institution

Function Analysis

The functional approach holds that something is best understood by examining how it is used.
In mass communication, this means examining the uses that audiences make of their
interactions with media.
The Role of Mass Communication:
In mass communication:
Different media provide different primary uses
 Macro analysis considers what functions the media provide for society as a whole
 Microanalysis considers what functions the media provide for the individual
Functions of Mass Communication for Society (Macro analysis)
For society to exist, certain communication needs must be met. These needs existed long
before the advent of mass media. As society became larger, these functions became too large
to be handled by single individuals. We should consider the consequences of performing
these communication functions via the mass media. Some of these consequences are harmful
or negative and are called dysfunctions. Media functions are not mutually exclusive; any
given example of media content may serve multiple functions.
1. Surveillance
Refers to the role media play in relaying news and information.
There are two main types.
 Warning or beware surveillance: occurs when the mass media warn us about impending
dangers such as storms, economic declines, military threats, etc.; also used to warn of long-
term dangers such as diseases, pollution, population growth, etc.
 Instrumental surveillance: the transmission of information that is useful and helpful in
everyday life such as movie schedules, stock quotes, sports scores, fads, new products, how-
to pieces, etc.
Not all examples of surveillance occur in the news media; instrumental surveillance often
comes from a wide variety of other media sources. There are several consequences of relying
on the mass media for surveillance:
 News (accurate accounts as well as mistaken ones) travels further and faster than ever
 News of events comes to us second-hand and is usually not personally verifiable; as such,
we’ve come to place our trust in media, or grant the media credibility
 As a dysfunction, media surveillance can create unnecessary anxiety
2. Interpretation
This refers to the role media play in giving meaning and significance to events. Gatekeepers
provide interpretations, comments, analyses, and opinions on various events to give the
audience a better understanding of the events’ relative importance to society.
There are several consequences of relying on the mass media for interpretation:
 Audiences are exposed to a wide range of often contrasting viewpoints
 This allows us to weigh all sides of an issue before deciding on our position
 It also gives us a greater depth of expertise upon which to draw conclusions
There are also several potential dysfunctions of relying on the mass media for interpretation:
 There is no guarantee that media interpretations are accurate or valid
 Individuals could become overly dependent on media interpretation and lose the ability to
analyze situations or think for themselves
3. Linkage:
Media can bring together various elements of society that are not directly connected.
The linkage can be based on common interests or matching wants with needs.
Examples of linkages are Internet outlets such as eBay, WebMD, Craigslist.org, and
Match.com. The media can build totally new groups by linking people with similar
interests.
Another potential dysfunction of relying on the mass media for interpretation:
 Sometimes the linkage function can have harmful consequences, such as hate groups’ and
terrorists’ use of the Internet.
4. Transmission of Values (socialization). This refers to ways in which an individual
comes to adopt the behavior and values of a group. Individuals exposed to media
portrayals of certain types of behavior and value systems are likely to grow up and
accept them as their own, and thus pass along these values from one generation to
another.
5. Mass Media and socialization:
There are several consequences of relying on the mass media for socialization:
It helps stabilize society by creating common bonds between members in terms of shared
values and experiences
 The values and cultural information presented in the media are usually selected by large
groups that encourage the status quo
 The media can also transmit values by enforcing social norms

6. TV and socialization:
Television may play a special role in socialization. Of all mass media, television has the
greatest potential for establishing common social values. By age 18, the average person has
spent more time watching TV than doing anything else except sleep. Dysfunctions can occur
if youngsters watching violent content are socialized into accepting violence as a means of
proproblem-solvingt is argued that many TV images of minority groups reflect the
stereotypes held by white Anglo-Saxon Protestant males.
7. Entertainment:
The importance of this media function has grown as people have more leisure time. Motion
pictures and sound recordings are devoted primarily to entertainment
There are several consequences of relying on the mass media for socialization:
 most entertainment content is designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of
taste
 it is quite easy to sit back and let others entertain you; critics believe that the mass media
will turn Americans into a nation of watchers instead of a nation of doers
How People Use the Mass Media (Microanalysis)
At the individual level (microanalysis), the functional approach is called the uses-and-
gratifications model. This model holds that audience members have certain needs or drives
that are satisfied by using both non-media and media sources. Media uses are generally
broken down into six categories: cognition, diversion, social utility, withdrawal, affiliation
and expression.
1. Cognition:
The process of coming to know something, which is closely parallel to the surveillance
function. On the individual level, there are two different types of cognitive functions:
Diversion. Using the media to “get away from it all.” Types of diversion include stimulation,
relaxation, and emotional release.
 Stimulation involves seeking some sort of emotional or intellectual mental activity
 Relaxation involves seeking relief from sensory overload. The type of content is not the
defining factor, because different people find different media material relaxing
 Emotional release involves seeking some type of emotional catharsis, generally by creating
a vicarious participation in a situation or empathy with a character (fictional or otherwise)
depicted in the media IM2-5 Social Utility. Seeking social integration or affiliation with
others, generally by using the mass media as a common denominator of experience.
Social utility can manifest itself in several forms, including:
 Conversational currency provides a common ground of information and experiences, which
can be used to strike up a conversation
 Parasocial relationships develop when individuals develop feelings of kinship or friendship
with media characters (fictional or not) Affiliation. The individual counterpart to the linkage
function; refers to a person’s desire to feel a sense of belonging or involvement within a
social group. Expression. Using the media to express one’s inner thoughts, feelings, and
opinions. Withdrawal. Using media to create a barrier or buffer zone between oneself and
other people or activities. Content and Context. Media use is determined not only by media
content, but also by the social context within which the media exposure occurs. For example,
when going to the theater, the content of a film may be perceived as having less value than
the opportunity to socialize with one's peers. The functional approach to studying mass media
makes several assumptions:
 Audiences take an active role in their interaction with various media, and people's needs
provide motivation for media use
 The mass media are not the only sources to satisfy people's needs; for example, relaxation
can be achieved by taking a nap
 The uses-and-gratifications approach assumes that people are aware of their own needs and
are able to verbalize them. The approach relies on survey methodology