Social interactions and socialization: Smartphone
Smartphones are cultural artifacts of social interaction since they changed the way people communicate, thus becoming an essential part of everyday life. Its evolution has allowed people to interact with each other from anywhere in the world. They started as large devices used only for emergencies, and have now become smaller and essential for daily living. Today, smartphones dominate the world with numerous functions that allow for interaction such as access to the internet and social media. As such, they have become a necessity due to allowing an individual to engage in dynamic activities such as web browsing, taking photos, and communication as well as storing an extensive amount of data. Smartphones are powerful cultural symbols in the modern world. They have revolutionized the way people interact with each other and continue to be an important part of people’s lives. The smartphones facilitate social interactions since people have a constant need to be connected to friends, family, and colleagues. They can be adopted and personalized by the user, displaying their identity, creativeness as well as a sense of style. They are also convenient while enabling people to create their micro-cultures while changing the social and cultural norms and values.
Social class and status: A white-collared dress shirt
For a long time, a dress shirt with a white collar has been used to represent an aspect of social class, status and wealth among individuals, especially men. The dress shirt is a symbol of wealth and class distinction that fulfills austerity in the sense that only a section of individuals with substantial prosperity could afford to have enough of them to wear. The white collar shirt is also associated with masculinity and power, see as a form of armor for men who wanted to be identified as a respectable member of the society. It portrays the anatomy of masculinity in men giving them some kind of power over women in the workplace. The white dress shirt is therefore associated with a high social class and status. It aligns with the theory of the leisure class which claims that apparel than individuals wear indicates the financial standing to observers. Clothing often illustrates social class, and the choice of clothing aligns with an associated status. An obscenely wealthy man is known by a starched white collar, which led to the categorization of a white-collar job as well as a blue collar job. The perfect way to maintain the professional social status is to wear a colored shirt with a white collar. This apparel is ideal for the office where an individual can stand out from other individuals
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The sense of professionalism and legitimacy: A business card
While technology may have made business cards redundant, they are still in use to symbolize a sense of professionalism as well as representing social relations and economic developments. Their use became an established norm for corporate executives often synonymous with power and prestige. A business card is the first impression of a brand and shows that an individual is professional and prepared. The card is often handed out or left by someone containing information about an individual and their contacts. Business cards powerfully reveal the culture of a person, showing that an individual is formal and legitimate about his business.
In most cases, business cards are used to initiate networking and allow an individual to interact with their clients. Therefore, the digital technology cannot replace their importance in business and for professional people. Business cards are also used when showing the legitimacy of an individual or company which may be beneficial and profitable.
Social construction: A dollar bill
A dollar bill is a social construction which believes that the meanings attached to objects are a result of collective social agreement and conventions. Social constructionism is a sociological theory of knowledge that consists of how social objects of consciousness work in social contexts. The theory states that individuals assign meanings to objects. Money is an example of social construction that plays a significant role in the lives of people since all the paper bills and coins are just paper and metal that can only become significant after agreeing to the social construction. The idea of social construction works for money since its success as a currency occurs due to every individual collectively agreeing to participate in its worth and conducting business transactions with it. At the same time, it is a social construction because none of the coins are worth what they cost. For example, producing coins may require more than the value of these coins, which may create a budget deficit for the treasury. At the same time, the dollar represents the history of the United States with portraits of various deceased American political leaders and images reflective of the history of the nation. This makes it a social construct but with significant meaning and identity to the government.
Cultural identity: Coca-Cola bottle
Coca-Cola bottle is a cultural aspect since it represents the American history. The bottle design gave the company a brand and signature curves while strengthening its trademark across the United States and the whole world. This bottle design has played an enormous role in the contemporary art, design and popular culture. The Coca-Cola bottle is an important asset of the company and has achieved its iconic status as a symbol of refreshment. It remains distinctive in the sense that it is possible to recognize by touch alone or its shards on the floor.. Coca-Cola bottle symbolizes America and its way of life. The refreshment part represents the ideal way of living for Americans and a sense of pride in the American culture. Over 100 years since its design, the bottle has maintained its signature shape despite technological changes. What is great about this bottle is that the wealthiest consumers buy mostly the same product as the poorest consumers. Whether it is the president of the country or the peasant citizen, the bottle brings about equality.
Cultural imperialism: An iPod
An iPod is also a cultural artifact that transformed how people listen to music on the go. Since its revolution, the iPod became a standard that people use to listen to music, making it an example of a cultural icon due to its cultural meaning and popularity for consumers. It was also ubiquitous to the point of defining the entire market category while transcending the mantle of nerd toy to become an iconic cultural force. The product transformed the Apple Company while shaking up the music industry and changed the way in which people consumed music while interacting with the company. The iPod is associated with transforming the consumer electronics industry that hooked consumers to content while igniting the idea of ubiquitous access to content. As such, it is the most successful music player that changed the way in which people listen to music more fundamentally influenced the whole field of consumer electronics. The product revolutionized consumption of music and was able to earn trust among all consumers and maintained a market leader due to learning how to dig into consumer desires and behaviors.
Social identity and influence: Designer product
A designer product as a symbol of projecting their identities and beliefs while representing social influence. Most people associate designer shoes with a central image of what it means to be an American. People used to believe owning designer products such as clothes or shoes among other luxury products allows one to be anyone and do anything. The American culture has projected itself onto holding luxury products while imparting a sense of manifest destiny. Wearing designer shoes is an entitlement and privilege with an individual creating his own social space, which becomes a symbolic boundary between them and other people. The idea of owning and wearing a designer product is embedded in the minds of many working people who see it as a necessary consumer product. However, the drive to hold these products is often pushed by peer and social influences, with people believing they are not living an American dream if they do not possess certain products. The product thus represents the hard work that individuals put in their jobs to achieve the American goal.
