What is Social Phenomena?
The social phenomena are all behaviors or trends that occur within a society, which can be performed by some or all the members and having a concrete effect or consequence. For example: immigration, art, the devaluation of a currency, fashion.
These phenomena occur when a change occurs in some sphere or area of human development, and they can be both positive and negative. They usually involve changes in the behaviors, opinions or habits of society as a whole or of a certain group or community .
Social phenomena are studied by sociology because they are produced by humans. They should not be confused with natural phenomena , which are those that occur in nature without the direct action of the human species.
Characteristics of social phenomena
The main characteristics of social phenomena are:
- They are subjective and relative in nature because they are based on human behavior and tend to break with the established order. For example: That in the 21st century a country has a life expectancy of 30 years is a social phenomenon, while if the same thing happened four hundred years ago it would not have meant such a phenomenon.
- They are situations, phenomena or trends that may be desirable or undesirable and that are motorized or affect a part or the whole of the population of a country or the world.
- They tend to modify the behavior of the population and introduce changes within social life and in areas such as the economy , politics, fashion, music, customs , among others.
They are studied by sociology and by other sciences such as history, geography, political science, economics, linguistics, among others. In some cases, the harder sciences are called upon to understand social phenomena. For example, mathematics and computer science help to understand a large part of current technological processes.
Examples of social phenomena:
Totalitarianism:
It is a political regime in which a person or party asserts itself as the head of a nation and does not take into account the division of powers.
Democracy:
It is a political model in which the inhabitants of a nation elect their representatives, who are responsible for governing and sanctioning and enforcing the laws .
Capitalism:
It is a current production model in the world that is based on private property and the free exchange of goods and services .
Exodus:
It is a process that occurs when an important part of a population leaves one physical space to settle in another, usually for economic or political reasons.
Immigration:
It is the phenomenon that occurs when one or more inhabitants of a country go to live in another country.
Art:
It is the set of disciplines considered aesthetic in which the human being recreates situations or emotions through image, sound, word, among others. For example: painting, drawing or music.
Internal migrations:
It is the process in which a group of people moves within the same country, generally for labor, social or economic reasons.
Fashion:
They are the guidelines established through different media , which advertise certain products or goods that are then consumed by a large portion of the population.
Poverty:
It is the situation in which people or groups find themselves when they do not have the necessary resources to cover their basic needs .
Devaluation:
It is the process that occurs when one currency loses value compared to another, within the framework of international trade.
Degradation of human values:
It is the phenomenon by which individualism, selfishness and lack of respect assert themselves over solidarity and the values of a community.
Discrimination:
It is the type of disrespectful behavior that an individual has when he shows intolerance towards the beliefs, opinions, characteristics or choices of a person or group.
Strike:
It is the phenomenon that occurs when the workers of a company do not go to their workplace to protest a certain issue.
Crime:
It is the violation, by an individual or group, of the laws established by the State for a correct coexistence, which leads to the harm of third parties.
Religion:
It is the social phenomenon by which a group of people adhere to a doctrine or belief and follow the precepts and mandates provided.
Social networks:
They are the internet platforms through which people communicate and share content and information. It is one of the most prominent and globalized social phenomena in recent times.
Revolution:
It is the sudden change in the political system that occurs in a country, as a result of a violent or peaceful mobilization.
War:
It is the armed conflict that occurs between two or more countries or between two groups within the same country.
Unemployment:
It is the process that occurs when a portion of the population of a territory does not have a job despite looking for it.
Destruction of the environment:
It is the phenomenon that occurs when different natural resources on planet Earth (such as soil, water, minerals or forests ) are degraded or altered by human action.