#SpeakUpWhenNeeded

[sociopplwatcher]

End of semester reflection post: Sociology in Public Relations and my personal life

As a Public Relations major sociology is beneficial to me because you work with a variety clientele on various projects all from various locations and backgrounds of life. These groups of people are very diverse, across races, religious beliefs, genders and disabilities. Sociology teaches you to drop the stigmas and how to approach unique matters on a micro and macro level. When you’re looking through a sociological lens, you will realize how to be tactful in handling press releases, social media and when handling people in general. Most public relations jobs are extremely culturally diverse since you could be working with global customers you’ll need an understanding of their traditions and the social norms within their country as well. You will see sociology being beneficial in how one group of people may be affected more than another group based on how you handle things. Ultimately your approach could unintentionally exclude or upset a group of people that you are trying to help.

 Sociology teaches us that even if we don't believe we aren’t being discriminatory we may be subconsciously or that we could be participating in institutionalized racism or have advantages based on our skin color or economic standing that we may be oblivious too compared to someone else. By taking a Sociology class, you can enhance your critical thinking skills and put into practice an approach that will benefit a variety of people long term. It teaches you how to articulate your message in a well-thought-out manner while listening and trying to understand the culture, diversity, and message of the clients you will be working with. It teaches us that if we do have a benefit over someone else we can be a voice to advocate for the changes and justices that are more balanced for them. Public relations often involve various causes meant to balance equality and help those who need it. It allows us to utilize the diversity we have in our world and teaches us to appreciate one another for these differences.

 As far as my personal life I’m finding myself thinking about things in even more ways than I did previously. I’m a self-proclaimed overthinker so for me to say that I’m thinking even more about topics that I once didn’t is “different” for me. Sociology even has me breaking down the meaning behind billboards, television shows, and even songs I once enjoyed I’m finding myself more critical of. I connected to a lot of the topics this semester but the two I most connected to where the social deviance project and gender chapters. The social deviance simply because I am “random”. Things others don’t consider normal I may do anyways just to see how people respond or to see if I can make someone smile. I’ve known first hand what it’s liked to be judged on my appearance or standing up for things when others haven’t, even if it means standing alone.

I also connected a lot with gender and the feminism aspect of that chapter due to being female it was hard not to relate in many ways. I personally found myself placed in some of these gender-specific roles and being criticized and questioned when I stepped out of the “normal” role. As someone who has experienced sexism first hand. It was relatable as far as how the media puts pressure on women and often overlook discrepancies amongst genders. I can say that I am leaving this class with a reminder that globally speaking we are all so very diverse not just physically but emotionally. Our experiences throughout our lives help mold us and our believes and what we project back into the world. Despite trying to fix many of these inequalities I’m not too hopeful at the moment that they’ll truly be fixed. This class has made me slightly more cynical, to be honest. I am however reminded I have a voice and a platform to speak up, so I can stand up for what I feel is right and be an advocate for those who don’t. I only hope others speak up and look at things critically to the point we also don’t make everything into a label and only aggravate an already fractured world. The world will never be perfect but maybe in time, small changes will accumulate into a much-needed difference that we need to solve some of these problems and to prevent history from repeating itself. 

Source:

Hightower, J. (n.d.). [Speak up]. Retrieved December 5, 2017, from http://i.quoteaddicts.com/media/q1/1244780.png