Material Culture Vs Nonmaterial Culture

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According to our text book material culture has to do with objects we use in our daily lives in our respective societies, while nonmaterial culture consists of things like our beliefs and customs. Furthermore the text continues on to say that these two things are linked (Little, 2014, p. 92). To understand this link it is important to look at some examples of the material objects around us and recognize their links to our nonmaterial culture. Television in many countries, especially the United States, is an object that has had a great deal of influence on our daily lives and traditions. Many people have nightly rituals where they watch their favorite programs on the TV. This item also provides a person with many different ideas and information …show more content…

Where I live, currency is not used as often as it once was. Bank cards and electronic-data interchanges have made transactions possible without the physical exchange of paper money or coin. Every person that has a bank account has a plastic bank card that allows them to leave their cash in the bank. This changed the way customers interact with the merchants. There is less communication involved or none at all if purchasing online with a computer. In my area cars are a necessary evil. They are a status symbol to some people as a way of demonstrating wealth by driving an expensive vehicle. Cars are necessary to travel to work, the grocery store and to see family. Without a vehicle it is necessary to live closer to a metropolitan area that has public transportation. Roads, bridges and tunnels are objects that make transportation easier for those that own a car or use public transit. These things allow individuals to travel further for work and other important tasks. Before cars and highways, a trip that would only take an hour, could take an entire day. These innovations also connect many communities together that would not otherwise be accessible to one …show more content…

At first they made communication with other people much easier. Now they’ve evolved into mini computers that can access the Internet and social media very quickly. They have cameras that can record video or take pictures. These images can now be posted and livestreamed directly to the Internet. There are many people that can carry-on entire relationships without ever seeing any of the people they are communicating with. Cell phones have also brought to light, the issue of police misconduct. They can be used to capture important evidence in the event of a

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