Part One: Exploring Accreditation As a New Framework for Social Dynamics
I decided to start this project to share and explore my ideas about the different social dynamics that I’ve interpreted in my experiences. If you end up enjoying the content, please follow Sociotechbro on Instagram and check out future posts on this blog!
To begin, I’m going to introduce and explain a simple sociological concept that I refer to as Social Accreditation Theory (AKA SAT or The Breakfast Club Theory). This theory helps us understand the subtle ways society influences our behaviors and beliefs, and it's quite different from what we usually think of as accreditation.
Before I start, I want to preface this by explaining that I am by no means purporting to be an expert on social theory. I'm a writer and philosopher. I have not conducted any research studies to support this theory of social accreditation, instead I have tried to develop and understand the concept of accreditation as it relates to other theories in social philosophy and social psychology. Figures like Guy Debord, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and even more contemporary thinkers like Antonio Damasio and Byung-Chul Han have given me a rich context for understanding how SAT operates within society.
Social Accreditation refers to the implicit and explicit processes and systems by which social groups develop, propagate, and reinforce norms, behaviors, values, and markers of status within their cultures. Social Accreditation Theory provides a framework for understanding the complex interplay of factors that contribute to the social standing and acceptance of individuals, ideas, and practices within a group or society. This might sound complicated, but stay with me, alright?
Historically, civilized societies have had many ways to differentiate, validate, and at times, ostracize each other based on all sorts of criteria. These often include our achievements, behaviors, and adherence to group norms. The act of granting approval or disapproval, acceptance or rejection, has shaped our interactions, power dynamics and collective consciousness. I truly believe that SAT can help us understand these dynamics and create mental frameworks and healthier behaviors for people seeking validation and societal approval.
Why accreditation?
Traditional accreditation typically involves authoritative bodies evaluating the competency, credibility, and integrity of entities against established standards. For instance, educational accreditation organizations assess the quality of schools, colleges and universities and they credit them appropriately to ensure they meet a specific standard. This type of certification offers direct indicators of credibility, quality, or societal approval. While this form of accreditation focuses on tangible criteria, social accreditation extends beyond academic institutions and industrial standards. It concerns an individual or group's perceived value and acceptability within a societal or community context. It enables us to consider the silent nod of approval or the overt praise an individual receives based on societal norms and values.
To me, the concept of accreditation is particularly relevant in exploring how our social norms and standards evolve over time. It gives us a unique lens to examine historical shifts and future trends in societal values and behaviors. Approaching social theory from the concept of accreditation allows for a multi-dimensional analysis of social phenomena. It encompasses various elements such as credibility, authority, conformity, deviance, and the influence of societal structures, offering a more comprehensive approach to understanding social dynamics.
This theory aspires to guide people through the evolution of societal validations and sanctions. Seeking insights into their influence on both individual and collective dynamics. At its core, the Social Accreditation Theory (SAT) examines the ways in which societal validation, or lack thereof, shapes our identities, aspirations, and interactions. While traditional accreditation focuses on measurable benchmarks and criteria, SAT combines that with the intangible—how perceptions, beliefs, and societal norms influence our quest for validation.
SAT shows us that accreditation doesn't just stem from external achievements but is deeply connected with our sense of belonging and identity. Every interaction, from the awkward glare of a stranger to the praise of a loved one, feeds into our understanding of where we stand within the societal ecosystem.
Such validations, or their absence, can profoundly impact our self-worth, aspirations, and life choices. SAT is a tool that helps us understand why we seek validations, how we're influenced by social norms, who determines what's credible and how social dynamics evolve over time.
What I mean by this is that this theory also sheds light on the power dynamics inherent in the process of accreditation. Who holds the power to validate? Whose standards are deemed acceptable, and whose are sidelined? By diving deep into these dynamics, SAT exposes the undercurrents of societal structures, hierarchies, and the often-unspoken rules that govern our interactions.
With this work, I aim to offer fresh insights into how these validations shape individual and collective experiences. By understanding the mechanisms of SAT, we can become more aware of the societal forces at play, allowing us to navigate our life journeys with greater intentionality and consciousness. Moreover, by recognizing these dynamics, we can challenge and reshape the very norms that often unconsciously drive our decisions and interactions.
Social Accreditation explores how credibility and consensus can be seen as forms of social interaction where individuals or groups are granted legitimacy and trustworthiness by others within a social system.
From the dawn of civilization, humans have been on an unending quest for recognition and belonging. In the secluded communities of ancient tribes, rites of passage served as the earliest forms of accreditation. One's prowess in hunting or success in these rites determined their stature and role within the community. As the wheels of time turned and societies grew more complex, so did the mechanisms of accreditation. The medieval era saw the rise of guilds, where artisans were recognized for their unmatched skills and craftsmanship. The renaissance brought with it academies that lauded the intellectual pursuits of scholars. Fast forward to our modern era, and we find institutions and professional bodies setting clear criteria, benchmarks, and examinations to bestow accreditation. Yet, running parallel to these formal systems was another form of accreditation, more subtle but equally impactful. Society, with its ever-watchful gaze, weighed, judged, and either validated or rejected individuals. This is what I mean when I differentiate between Implicit and Explicit Accreditation.
Explicit Accreditation is similar to the typical idea of accreditation that I mentioned earlier, it denotes a formalized process wherein individuals or entities are granted recognition, validation, or sanction based on predetermined standards, criteria, or evaluations. This form of accreditation is overt, structured, and is often conferred by authoritative bodies, institutions, or societal constructs. Explicit Accreditation is a manifestation of societal structures aiming to categorize, standardize, and validate various aspects of human endeavor. It's the tangible markers of recognition – certificates, degrees, awards, or formal reprimands. Rooted in societal consensus, these markers serve as clear indicators of one's standing, achievements, or deviations within a given context. Unlike its implicit counterpart, explicit accreditation is unambiguous, leaving little room for subjective interpretation. It serves as a societal tool to maintain order, encourage desired behaviors, and deter deviations from established norms. Its influence is not just on an individual's self-perception but also on societal structures, hierarchies, and institutions.
Implicit Accreditation refers to the tacit process by which individuals or entities receive social validation or sanction based on societal norms, cultural values, and collective judgments. It operates subconsciously, often without direct communication, and is mediated through non-verbal cues, social behaviors, and shared understandings within a particular cultural or societal context. Implicit Accreditation is pervasive and deeply entrenched within the customs of human interactions. It derives from the collective consciousness of a group or society and significantly influences an individual's sense of belonging, self-worth, and identity. This form of accreditation is not necessarily bound by formalized rules or guidelines but is rather fluid, adapting to the evolving dynamics of societal norms and values. While its effects can be profound, influencing behaviors, decisions, and interpersonal relations, individuals might not always be consciously aware of its presence or impact. It's the unarticulated feedback, the undercurrents of approval or disapproval, that shape our perceptions and guide our actions.
In today's interconnected digital era, the layers of accreditation have become even more nuanced. Explicit digital accreditation can include informal systems of validation like verification badges on social media, review ratings on e-commerce or service platforms, and upvotes on community forums. These serve as direct indicators of credibility, quality, or societal approval but they aren't necessarily given by authoritative bodies. Implicit digital accreditation, conversely, includes more subtle cues like the number of followers, the type of comments received, or the virality of a post, which can signify social validation. Conversely, phenomena like being "cancelled" or receiving online backlash represent implicit sanctions. By grasping the mechanisms of social accreditation, we can better understand the forces molding our behaviors, dreams, and identities. Such understanding can empower individuals to traverse societal norms with heightened awareness and autonomy.
These definitions are important to grasp an understanding of the two forms of accreditation, distinguishing their characteristics while highlighting their interconnectedness in shaping individual behaviors and societal dynamics. Integral to the interplay of these dynamics of accreditation are two forces: Social Validation and Social Sanctions.
Social Validation refers to the process by which individuals or entities garner affirmation, endorsement, or acknowledgment from their societal or cultural milieu, indicating that their behaviors, beliefs, identities, or appearances align with prevailing social norms or values. Rooted in the human desire for acceptance and belonging, Social Validation operates as a pivotal feedback mechanism in societal interactions. It encompasses both overt gestures, such as commendations, praises, or public endorsements, and subtle cues, such as shared smiles, nods, or inclusive behaviors. This process is instrumental in reinforcing societal norms, as individuals often modulate their actions, opinions, or self-presentation to align with what is perceived as socially acceptable or commendable. Social Validation not only shapes individual behaviors but also underpins collective consciousness, fostering a sense of shared values, mutual recognition, and communal identity.
Social Sanctions encompass the range of punitive or corrective measures, both formal and informal, meted out to individuals or entities perceived to deviate from established societal norms, values, or expectations. Serving as the counterbalance to social validation, Social Sanctions delineate the boundaries of acceptable conduct within a given societal or cultural context. These sanctions can vary in their severity and form, ranging from subtle social ostracization, disparaging remarks, or exclusionary behaviors to more pronounced measures like institutional penalties, legal actions, or public denunciations. By delineating the repercussions of non-conformity, Social Sanctions act as potent deterrents, safeguarding the integrity of societal norms and ensuring cohesion within a community or group. They signify society's collective disapproval and underscore the costs of challenging or defying established conventions.
Importantly, there's a feedback loop between explicit and implicit systems. Explicit or formal systems often arise from informal societal needs and values. Once established, these formal systems then influence and shape informal norms and values in turn. The effectiveness of social accreditation in terms of belief and attitude change is not just about the credibility of the source but also about how individuals engage with and process this credibility in relation to their own identity and competencies. This means that SAT should consider not only the accreditation of sources but also the self-perception and social identity of the individuals within the social system.
In my next blog in this series, I'm going to go more in depth on the relevance of social comparison theory and its influence on individual accreditation! I'm also going to explain why I refer to SAT as the Breakfast Club Theory.
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