C. Wright Mills Sociological Imagination

“Neither the life of an individual nor the history of society can be understood without understanding both” (Mills 1959:5). This quote embodies C. Wright Mills’ sociological imagination or the ability for an individual to look at their own experiences in terms of societal influences and vise versa. In order to grasp this concept and one’s own life, one must look upon themselves and critically analyze what may or has directly influenced their experiences. Once one understands their own experiences in terms of social influences or society, one can then have a perspective of how society functions. Through Mills’ (1959) Sociological Imagination my life can be broken into three major groupings that revolve not only around my father, my sexual orientation,
In the early 1980s, both the Nintendo gaming system and the television channel MTV were introduced to the American public. Both were widely successful and established themselves as dominant social forces. In the changing norms and culture of the US, the MTV channel became a major tool for the pop culture, fashion, art, and music to become a commercialized industry. The Nintendo gaming system also became a major tool in the shifting culture to a more digital or video orientated society. These impacts on American society persist today, and had a great influence on my experiences forming friendships. In a culture in which holds pop culture in a high position, knowing who is who and what was cool was key in being accepted. However, in my case not being into what was “in” during the time allowed me to form some of my closest friendships. We bonded over the atypical music or the games not many were playing in own town, including the Nintendo. Then, when the iPhone was invented and unveiled in 2007, the way we all communicated dramatically changed. After the introduction of smartphones, my friends and I could talk to each other at all times of the day, which was great. Yet, it also caused the slow decay in the ability for people in my life to connect in person. When we would be together one of us would be on our phones or when we would talk in person it would be stagnate. Technology has also greatly influenced my social life. Facebook was established in 2004, and it quickly became the norm for all to have an account. However, I did not get an account until 2015, which caused some tormenting. The act of not having an account set me outside of the norm or set me on a lower status than the others. Yet, looking back at it I do not think this had a major or meaningful impact on my experiences. Facebook has though impacted my