Herbert George Blumer's Symbolic Interaction

Symbolic Interaction studies society through interactions within individual and small groups. It’s also represented through shared symbols, gestures, and nonverbal communications. But, how do these meanings influence people to interact the way they do around other people? It’s all based on “words”. Words are the biggest symbols our society uses, and is the foundation of learning and communicating. People act the way they do around their peers because they understand each other, but once they don’t it's hard to respond to one's actions. “Symbolic interactionists are interested in how social networking platforms serve as a mirror, giving users the chance to be noticed by others and receive feedback (often immediate).”(Seeing Sociology). Ways
of expressing social networking include: self-awareness (when a person is able to observe and evaluate the self from another’s viewpoint), shared symbols (any kind of object to which people assign a name, meaning , or value), or negotiated order (the sum of existing expectations and newly negotiated ones). Symbolic interactionists are also interested in how order is negotiated with regard to presenting the self and soliciting responses to that presentation. Today, people use simple words such as “follow me” (gaining friends on the media), or use simple pictures such as “ taking a selfie” as a way of showing symbolism. Sociologist Herbert Blumer coined the term symbolic interaction and outlines its essential principles.
“Herbert George Blumer earned his doctorate in 1928 at the University of Chicago and went on to teach there until 1951. He later became the founding chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1983 the American Sociological Association honored him with its Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award, acknowledging the importance of his codification of the fundamental theoretical and methodological tenets of the sociological perspective that he called symbolic interactionism.”(Encyclopedia.com). His perspective expressed subjects such as social movements, fashion, morale, social psychology, and race
elections. The theory itself is very interesting because it portrays the everyday life of an individual.
Whether the symbol is positive or negative, it still distinguishes a person's character or personality. The goals of our interactions with one another is based on meaning. Since we react to other cultures and traditions based on the meaning that they have for us. Though, there are outdated elements of symbolic interaction. Elements such as the symbol, the self, and the interaction. Out of the three, the self is most outdated because nowadays some people don’t act like themselves and don't let others see the real person he/she is. The other two elements symbol and interaction aren’t outdated since basically everything is a symbol and has meaning; and our social structure are worked through social interactions with
others. A social condition of today that contains symbolic interaction is how President Barack Obama pushed for a policy that would lead to $2.50 gas. At the time, gas was about $4.25, so Obama really came through for everyone when it came to gas because it was more affordable and efficient. With help and support from other ally countries, the gas prices were an economic success. As you can see symbolic interaction may appear to many in disparate manners. Without it, the world would not have been unique. From the food, to the music , culture, religion, and other traditional possessions, one may say that it is all based on a process. A process that may seem common to one group or community, but is totally distinctive to another, based on anything.