What Are the Functions of Culture?
Culture functions as a way to bring a group of people with similar interests, backgrounds, and beliefs together while shaping their views of the world. Culture strengthens bonds between people and can easily change and evolve by adding new trends or removing old traditions.
The Internet is an example of how a culture frequently changes and affects those who are a part of it or use it regularly. The online community that uses the Internet is an example of how culture functions. This culture is brought together to share, access, and find information. Internet users may vary in other ways such as gender, age, or location, but their shared goal connects them. The culture of the Internet also shows how cultures are fluid; the internet is constantly changing adding new information and customs. Social media trends like Facebook and Twitter are examples of culture functions to bring people together.
Culture can also function as a set of guidelines or traditions in families, schools or other groups. Everyone is part of some culture. A person raised in a small-town might have a different outlook on life compared to someone raised in a large city. Culture serves as a way to view the world and guides people’s behavior according to their dominant culture. Though generally thought of in terms of ethnicity, examples of culture can include the arts, teenagers, or different church groups.
Culture works as an identifier or marker for individuals. It can be either a positive or a negative dividing factor, or it can simply be a way to recognize groups of people. Culture brings like-minded people together and affects their outlook of life.
