Agents of socialization in short are the people, groups, and social institutions, as well as the interactions within these groups that influence a person's social and self-development. Agents of socialization are believed to provide the critical information needed for children to function successfully as a member of society. Some examples of such agents are family, neighborhood, schools, peers, religion, sports, the workplace, and especially the mass media. Each agent of socialization is linked to another. For example, in the media, symbolic images affect both the individual and the society, making the mass media the most controversial socialization agent. One of the most obvious places agents of socialization lay is in the malls of
Your typical fairytales consist of a princess in need of rescuing by a knight in shining armor. This is another agent showing that woman are weak, and helpless, while men are strong, brave, and heroic. How many Disney movies portray a female as the heroin? Very few. The games send signals of protection to guys, giving them the idea that women are weak and vulnerable so they need to be strong and powerful to protect them. The men in the games are all strong, and heroic. The values that are transmitted through the video games is that men are supposed to be strong and protect women. Music stores such as Media Play, FYE, Strawberries, etc are more examples of agents of socialization. The ways in which men and women are portrayed on CD covers has a major effect on the lives of boys and girls. Again, men are portrayed as strong, powerful, rich, and in control, while women are portrayed in a more sensual appeal, focusing on their physical beauty. They are always thin, gorgeous, soft, fragile, delicate and sexy. Looking around at the CD collections you see that most males are known for their performances in either punk/rock bands or for rapping, while women are known more for their pop music. The Britney Spears CD cover is a perfect example of your classic sexy, soft, fragile, delicate woman. If one was to compare her CD cover with that of 50 Cent, you would notice a drastic change in portrayal. 50 Cent's CD cover shows him with money,