Social Relationships and Political Movements PDF

Summary

This document discusses social relationships and political movements, highlighting the role of smartphones and internet access in modern movements. It analyzes events like the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street, emphasizing the impact of information and communication technologies on these events.

Full Transcript

**Lesson 4: Social Relationships and Political Movements** Smartphones and Internet connection have significantly contributed to the transformation of collective action. Easy Internet access through smartphone has given people from all classes equal opportunities to mobilize and spread informatio...

**Lesson 4: Social Relationships and Political Movements** Smartphones and Internet connection have significantly contributed to the transformation of collective action. Easy Internet access through smartphone has given people from all classes equal opportunities to mobilize and spread information and other services. People perceived as marginalized now find more courage in reaching out to those in the mainstream by connecting with sociopolitical movements with similar interests online. Aside from the traditional sociopolitical movements or Social Movement Organizations (SMO), Internet-based movements which are highly dependent on online propagation and e-movements, arising entirely online have emerged. Their operations somewhat differ from the traditional SMO in the sense that the former possess a Collaborative Innovation Network (CoIN) which refers to a highly motivated group with a collective vision and is aided by the Web in attaining a common goal through fast information and work exchanges. **Impact of ICT in Various International Events** **Arab Spring** This phenomenon in the Arab world was inadvertently sparked by Mohammad Bouazazi, a street vendor in Tunisia who set himself on fire in 2010 to protest after a council inspector confiscated his vegetable stall. News about this spread and others saw this as an opportunity to protest against the larger socioeconomic ills of the country. Soon, the ensuing riots overthrew the dictatorship of the president. The Arab Spring, as what it is now known, brought about destabilization and disturbed the order in some Arab authoritarian countries particularly Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Several awakenings, protests, and uprisings erupted in many Arab countries in the years that followed. Syria, for one, is now in a bloody civil war with rebels trying to oust the regime of Bashar al-Assad. One of the factors perceived to have contributed to such political upheaval was ICT. Through television, Internet, smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media outlets, the world became aware of the protests which eventually snowballed and gave people the courage to act against dictatorships. The causes of protests varied: economic failure, rampant corruption, act against security forces, and demand for more liberal and democratic way of governance. The unfolding events in Tunisia were watched by its neighboring countries and seemed to have inspired them. The use of Facebook, SMS (text messaging), and Twitter enabled users to sustain interest and eventually moved them to action. Facebook allowed people to express their political beliefs without fear of apprehension by state authorities. Like- minded Facebook users established citizen networks with political objectives. In Libya, the reporting about the civil war and subsequent NATO and UN intervention was conducted using social media technology in the absence of professional journalists who were banned in Libya. In Bahrain, the situation was different. The government co-opted the media by asking for help in identifying some leading protesters. It took the opportunity of political divisions which weakened the protesters. Thus, no change of regime occurred in Bahrain. A Pew Research Center article noted, "Social media indeed played a part in the Arab uprisings. Networks formed online were crucial in organizing a core group of activists, specifically in Egypt. Civil society leaders in Arab countries emphasized the role of 'the internet, mobile phones, and social media in the protests. Additionally, digital media has been used by Arabs to exercise freedom of speech and as a space for civic engagement." Since 2011, the goals of many Arab Spring protesters have been denied as autocratic governments regain power and crack down on civil liberties. Nonetheless, the uprisings have shown the power of mass demonstrations and peaceful protest, as well as the ability of social media to both fuel protest and communicate its goals to the outside world. The tumult of the Arab Spring also showed autocratic governments---and the rest of the world---that millions of people living in Islamic nations believe in free expression and democratic governance. **Occupy Wall Street** Twitter played a significant role in facilitating communications among the participants of Occupy Wall Street, an anti-capitalism movement. Twitter became a forum where the participants shared information and interacted with one another. At the local level, Occupy protesters used Twitter to communicate sensitive information about the protests and police actions. They used Twitter to pave the way for interstate communication exchanges. Through Twitter, a group capable of collective framing process which provided the social movement with shared languages, purpose, and identity was formed. Other people around the world copied the Occupy protest success and staged their own versions in what was later known as the Occupy Movement. **Terrorism** Extremists and terrorist groups have also used ICT, especially websites, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, to further illegal and destructive acts and recruit members and adherents. Jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State (IS) are two notable terror groups that have used ICT. The IS, in particular, seems to have members who are well-versed in using ICT in their operations. They produce well-scripted and choreographed videos and recorded executions. They also have an online presence through Instagram, and they publish an online monthly magazine. In addition, they utilize online messaging services, even launching a hashtag campaign, among others. An article in Popular Science noted, "From its start, social media has been integral to ISIS's rise. It enables ISIS militants to raise its prestige among terror groups and overtake older jihadist competitors like Al-Qaeda. It serves to coordinate troops and win battles. And it allows the group to administer the territory under its control." **Cyberterrorism**, a term coined by Barry Collin in 1997, means "unlawful threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein to intimidate or coerce a government and its people in furtherance of political or social objectives." This premeditated and politically motivated violence is aimed at noncombatant targets by clandestine agents. There are at least four elements which characterize cyberterrorism: 1\. Politically motivated attacks leading to death or physical injury; 2\. Cyber-attacks causing fear and/or bodily harm from cyber-attack techniques; 3\. Attacks against critical information infrastructures such as energy, transportation, and financial and government operations, and; 4\. Attacks primarily aimed at monetary profit. However, attacks that focus on nonessential service are not considered cyberterrorism. Terrorist groups use the Internet for hostile activities such as hacking, disseminating negative propaganda, and promoting high-risk activities. They likewise use the Internet for intergroup communication. Terrorist groups manipulate cyber media to release their propaganda statements. A study on hosting service providers such as Blogspot and Wordpress reveals that the virtual world is damaged due to the promotion of terrorist activities. Videos of hostage-taking, attacks, explosions, and bombing are even shown. A study by **Yulei Zhang et al. (2010)** has come across 10,000 extremist websites which developed technology to interpret the conversation and content of forums. The cyberspace is said to have allowed asymmetric or unbalanced warfare between, on the one hand, the perpetuators such as extremists, terrorist groups, and cyber criminals having the capability to inflict damage; and, on the other hand, the unsuspecting, naïve public. Terrorist groups can inflict damage or create difficult conditions to nations. Several countries have established cybersecurity agencies to protect their and other countries from cyberterrorism. **Keep In Mind** ICT has also been used to facilitate and inquire action against a regime, as what happened in the Arab Spring and Occupy movements. It is also employed by terrorist groups to create fear and destruction to lives and countries. While some Internet-based movements and e-movements failed for reasons such as lack of face-to-face interaction and inability to establish and sustain interpersonal networks, others attained success. **Jamie Friedland and Kenneth Rogerson (2009)** analyzed some of the successful Internet-based social movements and the Internet's role in their success. They see the Internet as having a passive nature which means that "users discover only what they seek" and "normally find information that merely reinforces their interests or beliefs." Nevertheless, the Internet "streamlines the process of political mobilization" as it allows easier interconnections among like- minded individuals. It facilitates faster and wider spread of messages though online sites. The leadership structure of the traditional sociopolitical movements vary from that of e-movements. While traditional movements possess a centralized, vertically hierarchical command structure, e-movements have a horizontal and decentralized structure. Leaders have more liberty to act and may not necessarily be politically engaged. Many leaders of e-movements are computer experts responsible for starting a full blown e-movement. They are computer-savvy individuals who are empowered by ICT rather than political activists. These leaders are likewise unconstrained by the limitations of traditional social movement organizations such as experiencing pressure from members due to their unconventional leadership styles. On the contrary, e-movements allow the leaders to practice their preferred styles, thus providing various ways and methods if achieving the goals of the movement. The leader may also be the member who made the best proposal as the course of action to take. No central leadership exists in an e-movement due to its horizontal structure. Without a traditionally rigid chain of command, members and leaders alike of online groups of protesters connect, coordinate, and plan their actions together in a hazy structure like that of modern terrorists cells (Weimann, 2006a in Friedland and Rogerson, 2009). What binds them is a common political agenda rather than a central leadership; hence, their flexibility and ability for evasive physical movement and shifting strategies. The Internet also enables SMOs to either access or bypass mainstream media. Through low-cost, efficient, and direct communication from the SMO, the general public and the media get to monitor its movements, which actually seek wider media coverage. Most SMOs believe that media coverage is necessary in amplifying their concerns to the public whose strong and sustained support can lead to the SMO's strength and success. They also seek to establish a well-designed and well- maintained website where they post their messages, counter negative media coverage, correct misconceptions, and refute criticisms. The site lends a sort of legitimacy to the SMOs. Information and communications technology enables groups and movements, big and small alike, to prosper and attain success in promoting their causes even without a centralized and hierarchical structure. The horizontal, decentralized, and flat structure facilitates the development of sociopolitical movements whose interconnections are based on common sociopolitical concerns, interests, and goals. **Lesson 5: Neural and Social Networks** INTRODUCTION A network is a group of individuals who collaborates with each other to be able to achieve a purpose and connection. It can be best described as work team, meeting of learners of the same course and profession, or any group who works together for a common cause. Establishing a network is important because through pooling resources, the organization can be aware of potential threats or problems that may arise during a project or event. Networking is associated with participation since it builds support and allows empowerment of its members. It also strengthens the work team to advocate issues, provide credibility, attain outcomes, give accurate information, plan activities, support project, and solve potential problems. Networking allows people to be flexible as they adjust to the changing environment. These individuals depend on different lifelong learning skills that they use in their interaction with their peers and workmates. Networking further connects and gathers people from a heterogeneous group of individuals from across professions and classes to achieve their plans and goals. It pivots innovations and awareness as people exchange knowledge and information. Weak and strong networks provide learning that will give organizations and people an idea of how links and connections work. Thus, an individual may devise methods and ties to his or her learning needs and use technology to enhance such skills. **Connection** refers to something that joins two or more objects or individuals. It also shows a situation wherein two or more objects or individuals have a similar cause, goal, or origin. The participants of Occupy movements, for instance, were connected together by a common goal of socioeconomic justice. Connection also exists between two individuals (or among many), events, and objects. Global warming is connected to frequent forest fires, just as unemployment is connected to poverty. Similarly, a **relationship** refers to the state or condition of being connected; the way in which two or more individuals or groups regard and behave toward one another; the manner by which two or more people, associations, or countries deal with each. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting of heads of state demonstrates a relationship between economies around the Pacific belt. A relationship always involves dyadic or more levels of connection. EXPLORE Relationships have different meanings to different people. Such can be with friends, with a special someone, with colleagues and co-workers, with co- members of an association, and with family members, to name a few. Establishing relationships is an important component of your life. As you pass through the different life stages, you will meet a variety of people with whom you'll build relationships with, whether good or bad, some of which will leave long-lasting impacts on your life. Establishing good relationships with friends is essential. Doing things for each other without expecting anything in return makes a good friendship. Building good relationships with colleagues and coworkers can be an asset to your work success. A promotion, a raise, or an appreciation from your company may come out due to your low-quality work backed up by good relationships with coworkers and the management. Love and respect for others are basic in establishing good and inspiring relationships in your workplace. Familial relationships are believed to be the most important of all types of relationship. Good relationship between parents and children results in a happy, wholesome home. Studies have shown that children who grew up with good relationships with their parents acquired good attitudes, got better grades, and became better decision makers. They also developed the tendency to listen to the advice of their parents, thus, avoiding misdirection and costly mistakes in life. Quality matters in any relationship. Sincerity, depth, and mutual understanding underlie a good relationship of any kind. Being a social actor, you are always engaged in overlapping relationships. Relationships, therefore, play a vital role in life. **NEURAL NETWORK** The human brain is the command center for the human nervous system. It receives signals from the body\'s sensory organs and outputs information to the muscles. The human brain has the same basic structure as other mammal brains but is larger in relation to body size than any other brains. The brain is an amazing three-pound organ that controls all functions of the body, interprets information from the outside world, and embodies the essence of the mind and soul. Intelligence, creativity, emotion, and memory are a few of the many things governed by the brain. Protected within the skull, the brain is composed of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem. The brain receives information through our five senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing---often many at one time. It assembles the messages in a way that has meaning for us, and can store that information in our memory. The brain controls our thoughts, memory and speech, movement of the arms and legs, and the function of many organs within our body. The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is composed of spinal nerves that branch from the spinal cord and cranial nerves that branch from the brain. The brain is composed of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem (Fig. 1). **Cerebrum** is the largest part of the brain and is composed of right and left hemispheres. It performs higher functions like interpreting touch, vision and hearing, as well as speech, reasoning, emotions, learning, and fine control of movement. **Cerebellum** is located under the cerebrum. Its function is to coordinate muscle movements, maintain posture, and balance. **Brainstem** acts as a relay center connecting the cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord. It performs many automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, wake and sleep cycles, digestion, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, and swallowing. **Right Brain--Left Brain** The cerebrum is divided into two halves: the right and left hemispheres (Fig. 2\) They are joined by a bundle of fibers called the corpus callosum that transmits messages from one side to the other. Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body. If a stroke occurs on the right side of the brain, your left arm or leg may be weak or paralyzed. Not all functions of the hemispheres are shared. In general, the left hemisphere controls speech, comprehension, arithmetic, and writing. The right hemisphere controls creativity, spatial ability, artistic, and musical skills. The left hemisphere is dominant in hand use and language in about 92% of people. **Lobes of the Brain** The cerebral hemispheres have distinct fissures, which divide the brain into lobes. Each hemisphere has 4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital (Fig. 3). Each lobe may be divided, once again, into areas that serve very specific functions. It is important to understand that each lobe of the brain does not function alone. There are very complex relationships between the lobes of the brain and between the right and left hemispheres. **Frontal lobe** Personality, behavior, emotions Judgment, planning, problem solving Speech: speaking and writing (Broca's area) Body movement (motor strip) Intelligence, concentration, self- awareness **Parietal lobe** Interprets language, words Sense of touch, pain, temperature (sensory strip) Interprets signals from vision, hearing, motor, sensory and memory Spatial and visual perception **Occipital lobe** Interprets vision (color, light, movement) **Temporal lobe** Understanding language (Wernicke's area) Memory Hearing Sequencing and organization **Language** In general, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language and speech and is called the \"dominant\" hemisphere. The right hemisphere plays a large part in interpreting visual information and spatial processing. In about one third of people who are left-handed, speech function may be located on the right side of the brain. Left-handed people may need special testing to determine if their speech center is on the left or right side prior to any surgery in that area. **Aphasia** is a disturbance of language affecting speech production, comprehension, reading or writing, due to brain injury---most commonly from stroke or trauma. The type of aphasia depends on the brain area damaged. **Broca's** area lies in the left frontal lobe (Fig. 3). If this area is damaged, one may have difficulty moving the tongue or facial muscles to produce the sounds of speech. The person can still read and understand spoken language but has difficulty in speaking and writing (i.e., forming letters and words, doesn\'t write within lines)---called Broca\'s aphasia. **Wernicke\'s** area lies in the left temporal lobe (Fig. 3). Damage to this area causes Wernicke\'s aphasia. The individual may speak in long sentences that have no meaning, add unnecessary words, and even create new words. They can make speech sounds, however they have difficulty understanding speech and are therefore unaware of their mistakes. **Cortex** The surface of the cerebrum is called the cortex. It has a folded appearance with hills and valleys. The cortex contains 16 billion neurons (the cerebellum has 70 billion = 86 billion total) that are arranged in specific layers. The nerve cell bodies color the cortex grey- brown giving it its name---gray matter (Fig. 4). Beneath the cortex are long nerve fibers (axons) that connect brain areas to each other---called white matter. The folding of the cortex increases the brain's surface area allowing more neurons to fit inside the skull and enabling higher functions. Each fold is called a gyrus, and each groove between folds is called a sulcus. There are names for the folds and grooves that help define specific brain regions. **Deep Structures** Pathways called white matter tracts connect areas of the cortex to each other. Messages can travel from one gyrus to another, from one lobe to another, from one side of the brain to the other, and to structures deep in the brain (Fig. 5). **Hypothalamus** is located in the floor of the third ventricle and is the master control of the autonomic system. It plays a role in controlling behaviors such as hunger, thirst, sleep, and sexual response. It also regulates body temperature, blood pressure, emotions, and secretion of hormones. **Pituitary gland** lies in a small pocket of bone at the skull base called the sella turcica. The pituitary gland is connected to the hypothalamus of the brain by the pituitary stalk. Known as the "master gland," it controls other endocrine glands in the body. It secretes hormones that control sexual development, promote bone and muscle growth, and respond to stress. **Pineal gland** is located behind the third ventricle. It helps regulate the body's internal clock and circadian rhythms by secreting melatonin. It has some role in sexual development. **Thalamus** serves as a relay station for almost all information that comes and goes to the cortex. It plays a role in pain sensation, attention, alertness and memory. Basal ganglia includes the caudate, putamen and globus pallidus. These nuclei work with the cerebellum to coordinate fine motions, such as fingertip movements. **Limbic system** is the center of our emotions, learning, and memory. Included in this system are the cingulate gyri, hypothalamus, amygdala (emotional reactions) and hippocampus (memory). **Memory** Memory is a complex process that includes three phases: encoding (deciding what information is important), storing, and recalling. Different areas of the brain are involved in different types of memory (Fig. 6). Your brain has to pay attention and rehearse in order for an event to move from short- term to long-term memory---called encoding. **Short-term memory**, also called working memory, occurs in the prefrontal cortex. It stores information for about one minute and its capacity is limited to about 7 items. For example, it enables you to dial a phone number someone just told you. It also intervenes during reading, to memorize the sentence you have just read, so that the next one makes sense. **Long-term memory** is processed in the hippocampus of the temporal lobe and is activated when you want to memorize something for a longer time. This memory has unlimited content and duration capacity. It contains personal memories as well as facts and figures. Skill memory is processed in the cerebellum, which relays information to the basal ganglia. It stores automatic learned memories like tying a shoe, playing an instrument, or riding a bike. **Ventricles and cerebrospinal fluid** The brain has hollow fluid-filled cavities called ventricles (Fig. 7). Inside the ventricles is a ribbon-like structure called the choroid plexus that makes clear colorless cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF flows within and around the brain and spinal cord to help cushion it from injury. This circulating fluid is constantly being absorbed and replenished. There are two ventricles deep within the cerebral hemispheres called the lateral ventricles. They both connect with the third ventricle through a separate opening called the foramen of Monro. The third ventricle connects with the fourth ventricle through a long narrow tube called the aqueduct of Sylvius. From the fourth ventricle, CSF flows into the subarachnoid space where it bathes and cushions the brain. CSF is recycled (or absorbed) by special structures in the superior sagittal sinus called arachnoid villi. A balance is maintained between the amount of CSF that is absorbed and the amount that is produced. A disruption or blockage in the system can cause a build up of CSF, which can cause enlargement of the ventricles (hydrocephalus) or cause a collection of fluid in the spinal cord (syringomyelia). **Skull** The purpose of the bony skull is to protect the brain from injury. The skull is formed from eight bones that fuse together along suture lines. These bones include the frontal, parietal (2), temporal (2), sphenoid, occipital, and ethmoid (Fig. 8). The face is formed from 14 paired bones including the maxilla, zygoma, nasal, palatine, lacrimal, inferior nasal conchae, mandible, and vomer. Inside the skull are three distinct areas: anterior fossa, middle fossa, and posterior fossa (Fig. 9). Doctors sometimes refer to a tumor's location by these terms, e.g., middle fossa meningioma. Similar to cables coming out the back of a computer, all the arteries, veins and nerves exit the base of the skull through holes, called foramina. The big hole in the middle (foramen magnum) is where the spinal cord exits. **Cranial nerves** The brain communicates with the body through the spinal cord and twelve pairs of cranial nerves (Fig. 9). Ten of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves that control hearing, eye movement, facial sensations, taste, swallowing and movement of the face, neck, shoulder and tongue muscles originate in the brainstem. The cranial nerves for smell and vision originate in thcerebrum.The Roman numeral, name, and main function of the twelve cranial nerves: **Meninges** The brain and spinal cord are covered and protected by three layers of tissue called meninges. From the outermost layer inward they are: the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater. **Dura mater** is a strong, thick membrane that closely lines the inside of the skull; its two layers, the periosteal and meningeal dura, are fused and separate only to form venous sinuses. The dura creates little folds or compartments. There are two special dural folds, the falx and the tentorium. The falx separates the right and left hemispheres of the brain and the tentorium separates the cerebrum from the cerebellum. Arachnoid mater is a thin, web-like membrane that covers the entire brain. The arachnoid is made of elastic tissue. The space between the dura and arachnoid membranes is called the subdural space. **Pia mater** hugs the surface of the brain following its folds and grooves. The pia mater has many blood vessels that reach deep into the brain. The space between the arachnoid and pia is called the subarachnoid space. It is here where the cerebrospinal fluid bathes and cushions the brain. **Blood supply** Blood is carried to the brain by two paired arteries, the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries (Fig. 10). The internal carotid arteries supply most of the cerebrum. The vertebral arteries supply the cerebellum, brainstem, and the underside of the cerebrum. After passing through the skull, the right and left vertebra arteries join together to form the basilar artery. The basilar artery and the internal carotid arteries "communicate" with each other at the base of the brain called the Circle of Willis (Fig. 11). The communication between the internal carotid and vertebral-basilar systems is an important safety feature of the brain. If one of the major vessels becomes blocked, it is possible for collateral blood flow to come across the Circle of Willis and prevent brain damage. The venous circulation of the brain is very different from that of the rest of the body. Usually arteries and veins run together as they supply and drain specific areas of the body. So one would think there would be a pair of vertebral veins and internal carotid veins. However, this is not the case in the brain. The major vein collectors are integrated into the dura to form venous sinuses --- not to be confused with the air sinuses in the face and nasal region. The venous sinuses collect the blood from the brain and pass it to the internal jugular veins. The superior and inferior sagittal sinuses drain the cerebrum, the cavernous sinuses drains the anterior skull base. All sinuses eventually drain to the sigmoid sinuses, which exit the skull and form the jugular veins. These two jugular veins are essentially the only drainage of the brain. of the brain **Cells of the brain** The brain is made up of two types of cells: nerve cells (neurons) and glia cells. **Nerve cells** There are many sizes and shapes of neurons, but all consist of a cell body, dendrites and an axon. The neuron conveys information through electrical and chemical signals. Try to picture electrical wiring in your home. An electrical circuit is made up of numerous wires connected in such a way that when a light switch is turned on, a light bulb will beam. A neuron that is excited will transmit its energy to neurons within its vicinity. Neurons transmit their energy, or "talk", to each other across a tiny gap called a synapse (Fig. 12). A neuron has many arms called dendrites, which act like antennae picking up messages from other nerve cells. These messages are passed to the cell body, which determines if the message should be passed along. Important messages are passed to the end of the axon where sacs containing neurotransmitters open into the synapse. The neurotransmitter molecules cross the synapse and fit into special receptors on the receiving nerve cell, which stimulates that cell to pass on the message. **Glia Cells** Glia (Greek word meaning glue) are the cells of the brain that provide neurons with nourishment, protection, and structural support. There are about to 50 times more glia than nerve cells and are the most common type of cells involved in brain tumors. **Lesson 6: Parallelism between Nueral and Social Networks** **NEURAL NETWORK** Neural networks referred to as connectionist systems (Garson, 2018) are a computational approach, which is based on a large collection of neural units (AKA artificial neurons), loosely modeling how the brain of a human solves problems with a large clusters of biological neurons connected by axons (Garson, 2018). Each neural unit is linked with many others, and links can be enforcing or inhibitory in their effect on the activation state of connected neural units. Each individual neural unit may have a summation function which combines the values of all its inputs together. There may be a threshold function or limiting function on each connection and on the unit itself; such that the signal must surpass the limit before propagating to other neurons. These systems are self-learning and trained, rather than explicitly programmed, and excel in areas where the solution or feature detection is difficult to express in a traditional computer program. Neural networks typically consist of multiple layers or a cube design, and the signal path traverses from front to back. Back propagation is where the forward stimulation is used to reset weights on the \"front\" neural units and this is sometimes done in combination with training where the correct result is known. More modern networks are a bit freer flowing in terms of stimulation and inhibition with connections interacting in a much more chaotic and complex fashion. Dynamic neural networks are the most advanced in that they dynamically can, based on rules, form new connections and even new neural units while disabling others. The goal of the neural network is to solve problems in the same way that the human brain would, although several neural networks are more abstract. Modern neural network projects typically work with a few thousand to a few million neural units and millions of connections, which is still several orders of magnitude less complex than the human brain and closer to the computing power of a worm. **SOCIAL NETWORK** A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for analyzing the structure of whole social entities as well as a variety of theories explaining the patterns observed in these structures. The study of these structures uses social network analysis to identify local and global patterns, locate influential entities, and examine network dynamics. Social networks and the analysis of them is an inherently interdisciplinary academic field which emerged from social psychology, sociology, statistics, and graph theory. Georg Simmel authored early structural theories in sociology emphasizing the dynamics of triads and \"web of group affiliations\". Jacob Moreno is credited with developing the first sociograms in the 1930s to study interpersonal relationships. These approaches were mathematically formalized in the 1950s and theories and methods of social networks became pervasive in the social and behavioral sciences by the 1980s. Social network analysis is now one of the major paradigms in contemporary sociology, and is also employed in a number of other social and formal sciences. Together with other complex networks, it forms part of the nascent field of network science. **Lesson 7: Shaping the Mind through Social Relationships** Your mind, which is part of the person's self, is shaped and influenced by the relationships that the person has with other people. Your thinking is affected by the ideas, beliefs, pieces of advice, and actions of your parents, teachers, friends, and relatives. In other words, the mind passes through a variety of social networks as it matures. Social relationships do affect or influence every individual thinking process. As we interact with every individual around us, we use our thinking skills on how we are going to be able to socialize and fit with their different characteristics and deal with their different attitudes (Shinize,2018). We individually undergo a process of thinking first as we socialize and interact with other people around us. In sociology, the process of shaping and influencing the mind and behavior of a person by way of orientation to the norms and values of society is called socialization. Socialization, which starts from early childhood, is an unending process wherein an individual creates a personal identity as he or she learns the norms, behavior, values, and social skills based on his or her social position. The parents are the first social actors to socialize with in the family. The child is oriented on family values, customs, appropriate behavior, dos and don'ts, and kinship relations. As a person grows older, he or she learns about responsibilities, how to behave in certain situations, and has to follow norms through interactions in the community and society. (Urgel,2017) Socialization implies social relationship. Therefore, relationship does what socialization impacts on the mind and the person. According to Urgel (2017), a person is a social actor. He possesses physical, spiritual, and mental faculties which are utilized in dealing with the self, other people, and the surroundings. Below are some recognized personalities having physical disabilities thus, could relate well with society: **Stephen Hawking** -- A theoretical physicist who has a degenerative neuromuscular disease which has paralyzed him personally. However, he has been celebrated on his theory on black holes based on general relativity and quantum mechanics. He has been using a computer-based communication system which allows him to use a screen keyboard through movements in his cheek. He can "speak" sentences through a speech synthesizer. With this assisting computer, he can write lectures and even deliver them. Hawking has been an influence and an inspiration to many by expanding the horizon of knowledge despite his physical disabilities. **Apolinario Mabini** -- A political leader who used his brilliance and wisdom to guide the government by giving advice to President Emilio Aguinaldo and writing the constitutional program of the early republic. His great personal achievements transcended his physical disability **Significant Social Roles** **Students: Wearing Varying Hats in the Community** **There are multiple roles that a person can play in the community:** **as a child, a brother or sister, a friend or foe, a leader, a security officer,** **a fireman, a nurse, a painter, an educator, a priest, a vendor, a street** **sweeper, an accountant, a baker, and a student, among others. Each** **role has corresponding functions performed in appropriate situations.** **These functions are dictated by norms which vary according to the** **community and practitioners. The efficient performance of these roles** **and functions can pave the path for a person's recognition and** **appreciation by the community. The recognized person is also** **considered worthy of emulation by the youth and adults alike in the** **community.** **In School** They perform the functions of learners: studying lessons and coming to school prepared; reviewing for examinations, participating in class discussions; joining school organizations to hone their talents and interests; running as an officer of school councils, organizations, clubs, and guilds; getting involved in intra school and interschool competitions; and engaging in extracurricular activities. The school is a venue for training the students physically, mentally, attitudinally, emotionally and in some cases, spiritually. The students are being prepared to facing life's challenges, to make decisions, and to choose the better options. **In the Family** The home or family is the first social agency with which the child comes into contact. Interactions with other members of the family, parents, siblings and others, have a lasting influence on the personality of the child and his social behavior. In the family, the student plays the roles of an elder brother or sister, a house helper, a babysitter, or an animal keeper. Usually, the student helps in looking after the younger siblings, prepare food, clean the house and accompany the younger siblings. The role of the family, particularly the parents, in shaping the social behavioral pattern of the child was highlighted for the first time by Freud. Using the formulations of psychoanalytic theory, Freud attempted to explain the impact of parental behavior, parental attitudes and early childhood experiences on the development of the personality and social behavior of the child. "The family is the society in miniature", observed Freud. The above statement highlights the crucial role of the family in the socialization process. Studies on normal children, by Sears, Baldwin and others, have brought out evidence to show that extreme shades of child rearing attitudes and practices on the part of the parents have a definite influence in shaping the social behavior of children. Some of the behavioral patterns which have been investigated in this direction are authoritarianism, aggressiveness and dependency. **Outside of the Home** Apart from one's own parents, adults in the neighborhood also exert an influence in the shaping of the social behavior of the growing children. Students can also perform many roles and functions as they relate and interact with other people, units and organizations. They can serve as volunteers in feeding program, reforestation project, or anti-child labor movement. Another role that students can perform is being a member of **Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).** The SK intends to train the youth for public service, particularly in governance. **Simultaneous membership in various groups or communities** Member of the learning community Cyberspace community Spiritual community Recreational community Health community Work community Disability community Volunteer community **Hierarchy of Roles in the Community** A **role** is a window to a person's personality and behavior, and it indicates what people can expect from him or her. How a person performs the functions corresponding to his or her will show if the person is responsible, trustworthy, efficient, negligent, or unreliable. Roles also indicate how others should relate with one another. **Adam Kmiec (2013)** identifies five types of roles that a community should have in order to attain success in its existence. 1\. The **host** is someone who entertains the guests, organizes an event, maintains peace and order, sets some rules and enforces them, pulling some people out when called for. **Examples**: Community leaders or those occupying such as statuses as mayor, barangay chairman, school principal, company head and administrator and police chief, to name a few. 2\. The **facilitator** is focused on carrying out enjoyable and pleasant conversation with guests, encouraging people to meet and mingle with one another and introducing guests to each other. **Examples**: media practitioners who work in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. They occupy such positions as editor, writer, broadcaster and newscaster. 3\. The **popular** one is rather self-centered but has the ability to make people gravitate toward him or her and to attract people's attention. **Examples**: top community leaders, political kingmakers (also called political godfathers, big business people, top entertainers and show business talents, and leading society personalities belong to this category). 4\. The **instigator** makes community life more interesting by airing criticisms, writing negative comments, and starting controversies. The instigator serves as the devil's advocate mostly for entertainment. **Examples**: Opinion writers, critics, and columnists. 5\. The voyeur lends support to the host through his or her mere physical presence. **Examples**: community folks, the followers, supporters, and the public who attend every event organized by the host belong to this category **Ranking the Roles** The various roles are ranked in the order of prestige, value, and importance accorded by the community. Prestige is the respect and admiration that an occupation or role holds in a community. The social role valorization (SRV) accords valued roles for all members of the community. A community gives its members a sense of purpose and a feeling of belongingness. They tend to stay inactive and eventually fall out. This is where SRV plays a crucial role. Giving valued roles to all members motivates them to get involved actively in community activities, realize the importance of their participation, and relate with each other more frequently. It appears that SRV is more important in a community of interests for its maintenance and survival than in a geographic community, which can exist almost forever until a political decision declares otherwise. In both geographic community and community of interests, the social roles of persons are ranked in the order of importance accorded by the community. ![](media/image2.jpeg) In the Philippines, the ranking of occupations is made according to popularity. The popularity is based on two views -- the view of the worker and the view of the employer. There may be no claim that these jobs were seen as prestigious, but their popularity can be considered as a stamp of prestige or of being the most desired occupations. **Below are the top 10 job vacancies in Metro Manila as identified by the** **Department of Labor and Employment in the year 2011.** 1.call center agents 2.sales representatives 3.computer professionals 4.clerks (accounting, bookkeeping, etc.) 5.shop salespersons 6.protective services workers 7.engineers 8.cashiers and ticket clerks 9.accountants and auditors 10.debt collectors **What about the students?** The rank given to their role depends on the aspect being looked at. They are perceived as the hope of the community for a better and brighter future, thereby encouraging the parents, an adult community, and the government to provide them all the support they could. Below are the ranking compiled by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in terms of the number of graduates in academic year 2014 -2015, and the number of enrolment in academic year 2015-2016 both in universities and colleges: ![](media/image4.jpeg) These degree courses may indicate the kind of jobs that are popular to students once they join the country's labor force. There is no guarantee, however, that these equate to available jobs by the time the students graduate. Demands in the job market change from time to time. End of Review... References: Mangiduyos, Gladys P. Trends, Networks and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century 2017 Urgel, Elizabeth T. Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century Culture 2017 Vibal Group Inc. et.al., Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking 2018 https://www.psychologydiscussion.net/behaviour/top-6-agencies-of- socialization-behaviorpsychology/2861 http://www.ched.gov.ph/central/page/higher-education-graduates-by- discipline-group-ay-2014-15 http://www.ched.gov.ph/central/page/higher-education-enrollment-by- discipline-group-ay-2015-16 https://www.psychologydiscussion.net/thinking/thinking-nature-tools- and-processes-psychology/1661 http://mocareered.org/common-core/doc/513902/rubric-roleplay.pdf

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