Discussion Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory

Respond to the following student responses provided based on the following Prompts (Each Response should be 137 words) Use APA format and citation

Prompt 1:  What does it mean to say, as Berger and Luckman do, that reality is socially constructed?  Do you agree that reality is a social construction?  Explain.  What are the roles of externalization, objectivation, and reification in making a socially constructed reality?

Student Response 1 (Taelor)
Reality is socially constructed based off the fact that peoples opinions and perspectives are molded around their experiences and what they have been through. If someone has had an easy life then they may think life is easy. It’s all based on what you personally experience in life.
There will always be cultures among different social cultures. People who live a certain lifestyle have different norms and cultures that they are accustomed to. Different social classes do have their own preferences and tastes based on what they are used to as well as different world views. Someone who has wealth may not see economic issues in America whereas people of lower income may see the economic and systematic issues people face in America. For alcoholic beverages people with more wealth may indulge with more expensive brands. The way mass media is blurring the boundaries between social class cultures is by showing people living their lives and having issues just like anyone else. Also fast brands now allow people to dress like high end expensive fashion influencers for half the price. These days it is very hard to spot those who have more or less than others. Every one has access to social media therefore everyone can see what everyone is doing .

Student Response 2 (Johnathan)
Reality is socially constructed is when people mold their experiences through social interactions with others.  In a lot of cases this could be argued either way, but without outside influences how would anyone have a social identity?  I would say that teenagers are influenced more by social construction than anyone else.  At that age people are still trying to figure out who they want to be and what personality they want to be.  Wanting the newest video games, the newest iteration of Jordans, the newest Iphone, what is cool and what is not.  Adults are still socially influenced otherwise most reality shows would not be on tv, and cars and trucks would not be $60,000+.