Digitization of Economy and Society

Emerging Paradigms

Sudeshna Basu Mukherjee, Saheli Guha Neogi Ghatak, Nilanjan Ray

• Publisher: Apple Academic Press
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781000407310
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Computer Science General
• Index: Computer Science

This new volume looks at a selection of important issues resulting from the digitization of society, which has fundamentally transformed organizations. These new technological innovations are creating new opportunities as well as new challenges. This volume considers the emerging paradigm of digitization in economy and society, which covers a wide spectrum of digitization processes and consequences, accelerated by the current COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdown scenario, and the increase in digitization by individuals, businesses, and governments.

The book explores digital social trends, digital marketing, and the service industry, as well as the societal consequences of technologies and solutions to those problems. The diverse topics include the societal impact of digitization on gender issues, virtual relationships, e-government, online privacy, the gig economy (using Uber as an example), work life changes, online education, online media health public service advertisements, loneliness of the elderly, and more.

This book is essential reading for students and faculty of social sciences, economics, and management technology to understand the broad dimensions of digitization in our everyday life and the theoretical and practical utilization and outcome of digitization.

PART I

Digital Social Trends

CHAPTER 1

Impact of Social Networking Sites in the Construction of Masculinity: A Sociological Study of High School Boys of Kolkata

MADHURIMA DASGUPTA

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Adamas University and PhD Scholar, Department of Sociology, Kolkata, Jadavpur University, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT

Adolescence is an age when boys spend most of their leisure time in accessing and frequent using of social networking sites (SNSs). Social media produces a profound impact on the lifestyle of adolescent boys, which helps in the construction of masculine identity. The present chapter explores and analyzes how adolescent boys’ practice and construct their notions of masculinity by using and being engrossed in SNSs (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). The present research uses a mixed methodology in order to study 50 boys (aged 16–17 years) who studies in XI and XII standards of high school in North Kolkata. The research is carried out by non-probability purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The majority of adolescent boys affirmed in spending their leisure time in frequent usage of SNSs (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for the purpose of interacting with their peers and their closed ones on issues of intimacy followed by sexuality. They also build friendships and interact with strangers in order to reduce loneliness. All boys affirmed that they enjoy flaunting their bodies in SNSs like Facebook and Instagram, all in a bid to increase their reputation among their peers, which will not only enhance their self-esteem but also will increase their reputation among female peers resulting in the formation or construction of masculine identity. The social media also provides a solace for the adolescent boys since it helps them to escape from the mundane life and remain engrossed in a different sphere of entertainment which helps in developing notions of masculinity.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

It was during the 1990s that research initiated on men and masculinity in academia in the West due to the significant impact of the feminist movement, which challenged the stereotypical representation of masculinity as a gendered category. As a result of this, the social construction of masculinity was highly challenged not only to understand about men and multiple forms of masculinities but also to understand how gender identities are formed. Certain changes had also taken place following this in traditional gender roles during the twentieth century which resulted in the social construction of masculinity¹.

With the onset of technology, the Internet also emerged, which not only provided various forms of information ranging from news to facts and events but also helped users to use it for official purposes. Social networking sites (SNSs) are one such platform in the virtual world which has emerged so that users can stay connected with their family and friends globally for a better means of communication and entertainment purpose.

Social network possesses a unique aspect to help the users to articulate their networks on a global forum which results in a global connection between the users. Some participants, however, communicate over social media like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in order to increase their social network without much interest in making friendships with strangers. For this reason of networking as an important attribute of the sites, social media is also known as social network sites².

Though social media is used mostly by youngsters, its popularity has increased significantly among adolescents in society. The period of adolescence is a period of change which is a phase between childhood and adulthood and is characterized by various physical, social, emotional, and cognitive changes that not only provides privileges but also challenges for families, adolescents, and educators.

The major means through which adolescents communicate nowadays is through Internet which they use it either for official purpose like school works or gathering of information or as a forum to connect with their friend and family globally. Most adolescents communicate with their peers through social media like WhatsApp and Gmail. Furthermore, adolescents also use these SNSs in order to create their public profiles and to traverse their list of connections.

SNSs bring with it both advantages and disadvantages where on the one hand its usage enhances the sociability and networking of the users, on the other hand, obsession with the virtual world also affects their daily physical, academic activities along with face-to-face interaction with their family and peers.

Teenagers in India mostly access and us these major SNSs:

1. WhatsApp;
2. Facebook;
3. Instagram;
4. LinkedIn;
5. Twitter.

Adolescents’ nowadays mostly use social media in order to connect with their peers and family, which not only helps to increase their sociability and reputation among their friends, but also helps them to practice and construct their notions of identity among their peers. As a result of these factors, social media is producing a significant impact among the youngsters and has also emerged as a major arena for academic research as well.

There are various issues that are addressed by internet research varying from the construction of gender identity in the virtual world through the usage of social media like experiences shared by women to the ways by which boys and men negotiate their identity. Hence, gender identity is constructed even in the virtual world, followed by how teenagers present themselves on personal homepages over social media.

The period of adolescence is a phase where adolescents, irrespective of their gender, spend their leisure time in frequent usage of SNSs like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. The virtual world produces an enormous impact on adolescent lifestyles, which also helps in constructing their masculine or feminine identities.

Against this backdrop, the present chapter will explore how adolescent boys develop and construct their notions of masculinity by accessing and engrossing in SNSs like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter since there has hardly been any research carried out in Indian academia on the construction of Indian masculinity in social media, especially in North Kolkata.

1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

From a historical perspective, masculinity studies can be traced back to the inception of boyhood during the nineteenth century. Gender as a category is not only an important component of social relations but also signifies power relationships. The concept of gender can be understood only with the historical interpretation of masculinity.

The history of masculinity can be traced back to a seventeenth-century which was categorized into four phases of man:

1. Household Patriarch: This phase which emerged during the seventeenth century, the eldest male member was the patriarch who had sexual control not only over himself but also over women where all other contributing elements of male reputation was meaningless (Harvey, 2005). However, the sexual control of men still extended beyond their own selves.

Hegemonic masculinity was the major ideal characterizing this phase of patriarch since this phase exemplified patriarchy. Such notion was popularized by Raewyn Connell, which was based on the gender division of labor where the socially constructed belief existed that women’s earning in the economy would lend them more power than men, which would be detrimental for the economy. As a result of the gap between patriarchy and social practice, a new model of masculinity came into existence during this period.

2. Fops and Libertines: Historically, the emergence of Libertines can be traced back to the eighteenth-century during the time of the Renaissance, where tradition was embodied by figures like Francis Dashwood and John Wilkes. This was followed by the advent of the effeminate sodomite during the year 1720, which helped to define heterosexual men and hetero normative masculinity. This signifies that the attribute which helped to define the heterosexual man was his sexual desire and obsession for the opposite sex. Thereby, the attribute of a fop turned out to be a self-obsessed who failed in his effort to cater to the integrity of a gentleman.
3. Gentleman Who was Polite and Humble: This phase was characterized by a polite soft-spoken gentleman with good mannerism during the eighteenth century whose nature sharply contrasted with the Libertines and Fops. A notable figure like Phillip Carter carried out the work on masculinity and politeness where he defied such politeness as a social refinement which linked virtue with balanced sociability and integrity.

One of the other major attribute and element of politeness was the nature of social interaction with women-it was observed that men mostly reduced their voice tone while communicating with women, which enhanced smooth and proper social interaction between both the genders.

Such smooth social interaction with women also helped them to attain status and reverence and even motivated them to interact in their domestic sphere. It even taught them to be polite in public places where women were not allowed for any kind of interaction in assemblies and gardens and town walks.

Another major component of this phase was sensibility which was a major variant of refinement along with politeness. Such sensible nature among men helped to draw a relation between their inner virtue and outside mannerism since it focused both on the physical and emotional portrayal of men’s sensitive nature along with their feelings.

4. Domesticity and Etiquette: Politeness and sensibility declined with the emergence of the eighteenth century. However, the major developments that took place during this phase mainly comprised of:
   1. Etiquette: The shift and change from politeness to etiquette also led to the alteration from soft-spoken nature to rules of courtesy which comprised right and wrongdoings (do’s and don’ts) of everyday life of men.
   2. Domesticity: This development was characterized by the advent of domesticity, which not only challenged masculinity by building intimate relationship with women but also helped to prove masculinity by associating only with men.

This denotes that qualities like tenderness and self-control characterized this phase which was celebrated for both the gender in children’s literature. Furthermore, while toughness and violence were major characteristics of boys, the cynosure of children’s books were also ripe with feminine attributes of emotional dependency and refinement.

These four phases through which men and their masculinities have evolved historically finally led to the development of middle-class American masculinity who tried to preserve their childhood that remained untouched by their gender socialization. Thus, it was middle-class Americans who emphasized and valorized the difference between children and adults. However, though mothers were responsible for the upbringing of their children, they were also ambivalent about the changes of their male youngsters into boys. ‘Boyhood did not properly commence as a stage of life until boys were outfitted in their first set of trousers, a momentous day for parent and child alike, and not always without trauma³.’

1.3 CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINE IDENTITIES IN GLOBAL NORTH (INDIA)

The term ‘masculinity’ signifies traits, attitudes, and behavior associated with men⁴. In the Indian context, the socialization of male child occurs in a gendered manner due to their little or lack of contact with their female friends due to which their gender relation gets affected. This kind of discrimination leads to the formation of maladjusted personality among men, the attributes of which are gender inequality, sexual domination of males along with inequality of sexual attitude towards women.

Such gender discrimination initiates during childhood during assignment of toys to boys and girls; boys are socialized to play with toys like cars and guns, which symbolize physical toughness, strength, and aggression, while girls are mostly given dolls to play with since dolls exemplify soft nature, emotional dependence, and nurturance.

In the Indian scenario, gender inequality continues even during adolescence when boys enjoy the opportunities and advantages as they are socialized by the gendered norms-social mobility, independence in terms of dress code, and decision making. On the other hand, girls are socially constructed to bear the restrictions socially imposed on them, which include their mobility, dress code, obedience, and even interaction with their male peers. This kind of gender inequality commences in the family where girls are mostly socialized to look after the domestic sphere by helping their mother in household responsibilities while boys are socialized to be independent from most family obligations.

Gender stereotypes are also prevalent in an Indian family where boys are socialized to abide by the notion of hetero normative hegemonic masculinity-physical toughness, strength, courage, leadership, and violence. Boys are also socially constructed to play games with their peers outside their household, oblivious of family responsibilities and tasks, while girls mostly play games with their group within the domestic sphere due to issues of safety and security and the different forms of risk that they might encounter due to their gender.

As a social construct, the masculinity of youngsters helps to understand the cultural rules which are associated with their actions. Adolescent boys in Indian society who are unable to conform to the norms of heterosexual and dominant form of masculinity of being ‘macho’ (physically strong, tough, aggressive, courageous with good physique) become victims of bullying and social humiliation by their peers and family members and are even regarded as ‘effeminate.’ The socially constructed physical traits are highly significant for boys as such attributes provide the mechanism for the Indian boys to use the...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Contributors
• Abbreviations
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• PART I: Digital Social Trends
• PART II: Digital Marketing and the Service Industry
• PART III: Societal Consequences of Technologies and Solutions
• Index