Define mass behavior and outline the most frequent types of this behavior
What will be an ideal response?
Not all collective behavior takes place in face-to-face collectivities. Mass behavior is collective behavior that takes place when people (who often are geographically separated from one another) respond to the same event in much the same way.
The most frequent types of mass behavior are rumors, gossip, mass hysteria, fads, fashions, and public opinion. Rumors are unsubstantiated reports on an issue or subject. Rumors thrive when tensions are high and when little authentic information is available on an issue of great concern (for example, the blackout of August 2003). People are willing to give rumors credence when no opposing information is available. Rumors come from a wide variety of sources and may be difficult to trace. Whereas rumors deal with an issue or a subject, gossip refers to rumors about the personal lives of individuals (celebrity stories in tabloid magazines). Mass hysteria is a form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a large number of people react with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior to a real or perceived threat. An example of mass hysteria or a panic with a widely dispersed audience was the audience reaction to actor Orson Welles's 1938 radio dramatization of H.G. Wells's science fiction classic The War of the Worlds. A fad is a temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by large numbers of people. Unlike fads, fashions tend to be longer lasting. Fashion is defined as a currently valued style of behavior, thinking, or appearance. Public opinion consists of the attitudes and beliefs communicated by ordinary citizens to decision makers. It is measured through polls and surveys, which use research methods such as interviews and questionnaires. As the masses attempt to influence elites and vice versa, a two-way process occurs with the dissemination of propaganda—information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one. Although many people think of propaganda in negative terms, the information provided can be correct and can have a positive effect on decision making.
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In the historical perspective, the importance of the mass media to the socialization process has
a. increased over time. b. been about the same over the last century. c. decreased over time. d. never been very important.
Symbolic interactionists would focus on the curriculum's role in
a. creating a collective consciousness. b. preparing students for a global economy. c. creating inequality. d. conveying meaning.
According to Harper and Frailing, countries experiencing rapid rates of social and economic change also experience
a. Increasing rates of robbery b. Increasing rates of prosperity c. Decreasing rates of prosperity d. Decreasing rates of robbery
Communism is an economic system in which
A. the means of production are largely in private hands, and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits. B. the means of production and distribution are collectively owned. C. all property is communally owned and no social distinctions are made on the basis of people's ability to produce. D. all property is individually owned, and social distinctions are made on the basis of people's ability to produce.