Austin Lape

10/26/2015
Laus
Socl 3000

Reflection Essay Final Draft

1.

Given that Durkheim saw knowledge as a product of social life and development, what

changes in knowledge would he perceive in todays society versus the society of his day? How would
the changes affect the collective conscious and social norms? Apply his concepts.

One of the many reasons students attend school in their lifetime is to gain knowledge that could
help them in the world. Durkheim saw that knowledge was a product of social life and development.
Compared to the society of his day, the changes of knowledge that he would perceive in our day have
changed greatly due to the technological advancements in our world. Technology that can affect how
we receive that knowledge as well as the social changes in todays society. These changes can affect the
collective conscious and social norms, two concepts that Durkheim believed in.
The technology in todays society has given people access to information and knowledge from
around the world. Compared to Durkheims day, people acquired their knowledge from the society that
they were in whether it be from their school, their family, or other people around them. However, with
the internet people can discover a whole new concept of social life. This concept is what created social
networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and other websites. The society of a social networking site
compared to the society of a town or city changes in a way that gives the person on the website more
control over who they are connected to. The social life of a town or city in Durkheims day would
suggest that the town or city would have an influence on a persons actions committing to what

Durkheim called organic solidarity. In the text it states that Organic solidarity refers to a type of
solidarity in which each person is interdependent with others, forming a complex web of cooperative
associations (Appelrouth and Edles 2012:94). People in a town or city are mutually inclined to behave
in a certain way that is similar to the majority of the society. This kind of solidarity makes it difficult
for minorities such as homosexuals and other religions with different rituals.
The social networking sites in todays society promote Durkheims idea of mechanical solidarity
more than organic solidarity due to the ability to socialize with like-minded individuals. For example,
in Facebook people can join a group of their favorite actors, music, and much more. The text states that
Mechanical solidarity is typified by feelings of likeness. Mechanical solidarity is rooted in everyone
doing/feeling the same thing (Appelrouth and Edles 2012:92). However, when comparing social
media sites to the real world, mechanical solidarity only can function within the Facebook groups
themselves and not the social site as a whole.