Sociological Imagination: Pill Pop Culture

Sociological Imagination is the ability to understand situations and outcomes by looking at a broad social context in which we observe how we may interact and influence other people and situations. There are certain things within our society that may lead to a certain outcomes, but how we deal with an outcome of situation is based on the situation at hand, personal values, and the initial reaction of people around us.

C. Wright Mills believed that the power of sociological imagination came from the distinction of personal troubles and public issues. Pill Pop Culture, written by Ariel Levy, is a feature article about the sharing of prescription medication. Sociological imagination allows us understand people in terms of their own lives but also

by looking at a larger social context, what is going on around or amongst them (C. Wright Mills). Self-medication has soared over the years and people now are taking it upon themselves to share medication that they think fits the needs of someone else. Sharing medications amongst the society is a public issue in which the FDA and other associations are trying to control better under specific limitations, consequences if caught etc. Looking at social norms to understand individual behavior is one way to practice the sociological imagination. Social norms are defined as, “ the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors” (Princeton). The social norms are communicated through the sharing of prescription drugs. Everyone is doing it, it is hassle free and people are getting the “fix” they are wanting. Today, the question is not whether you are taking the right dosage, experiencing the normal side effects, etc. Instead of looking at the experiences with the sharing drugs as individual issue, the sociological imagination looks at the larger social context as something that could potentially be a “public-issue” which often can require a lot more analysis.

SOCY 109: Essay 2
From the increasing number of people who abuse drugs and alcohol, to the places in which they obtain them and for their reasons for abusing, America faces the reality of drug and alcohol abuse everyday. Whether within the workplace, on a college campus, or with family and friends, the abuse of alcohol and drugs is a rising social problem. As discussed in lecture, alcohol and drug use behaviors are a function of proximal norms, particularly related to the people who influence us the most. This paper looks at the societal issue between the abuse of alcohol and drugs and the factors that contribute/encourage this lifestyle in America. Factors may include, direct-to-consumer advertising, self-medication influenced by sites such as WebMD and Mayoclinic, and this social atmosphere that is considered to be the everyday norm.
Media plays a huge role amongst the American culture, whether we watch it on the news, read about it in magazines or newspapers, or get updates on our smart phones; our society is consumed with it.

According to The Crack Attack, public perception about the severity of the drug and alcohol problem increases as politicians and media organizations increase their discussion and coverage of drugs (Reinarman and Levine, 1989). Direct-consumer-advertising is something we see constantly on television, billboards, the Internet etc. Although this advertising is directed mainly to patients, other healthcare professionals, and those of age to legally purchase alcohol, more frequently than not it catches the attention of people who are more interested in what they want rather than what they actually need or are legally eligible to buy. Persuading the Prescribers," states that out of 34 or the most innovative countries, only the United States and New Zealand allow pharmaceutical companies to engage in director do consumer advertising. Several readings indicate that in 1997, The Food and Drug Administration loosened their restrictions on direct-to consumer advertising which permitted advertisements through all sorts of media outlets to skyrocket. Side effects are specifically are key when dealing with drugs and alcohol. The term shit-show was coined by Vander Ven, as "a chaotic drinking episode characterized by dramatic drunkenness, human wreckage, and primitive behavior...a party that has

gone off the rails" which in turn I believe can be related the use of drugs as well. People who do not actually face depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder etc. crave the feelings that alcohol and drugs induce which is encouraged through the use of direct-to-consumer advertising.
According to The American Addict, a documentary released in 2012, about 105,000 people die a year from the use of prescription drugs.

As stated previously, with the rise of media and we again face this idea of people actually needing medication from wanting them for personal uses. People have access to websites such as WebMD and Mayo clinic, in which they search for basic knowledge on ailments, side effects, etc. If you are positively diagnosed with the disorder you are reading about, this section is very informative, generalized, and helpful. However, if you have a stomach bug and your symptom search has directed you to gastrointestinal cancer, you are left with and incorrect fear that you are dying. This metaphor may seem extreme, but many people fall into this WebMD panic mode. This anxiety is what Virginia Heffernan calls “hypochondria time suck” in her article “A Prescription for Fear.” Although these websites seem beneficial to people at times, the real concern is that they are potentially leading people away from confronting actual doctors and encouraging them to figure it out for

themselves.
Often, people use alcohol and drugs as an escape from problems they face, but according to Baumeister, author of "Identity: Paradise or Prison", it is important to be able to differentiate between those who seek to escape from oneself and those who desire to escape their problems (Baumeister, 1991). Self-esteem plays a huge role in “escape” and the lives of everyday Americans. What is important to recognize is that, when people feel the need to escape the self, it is a way of responding to the problems that are associated with how they actually feel about themselves.
Overall, the rise of substance abuse is a persistent problem America faces. Our society, whether recognized or not, constantly looks to drugs and/or alcohol as an answer to problems. The Medicalisation of Shyness, written by Susie Scott, is a great example of how our society turns to substances as an instant fix. The article looks at a personality trait such as shyness and how it is turned into a mental “illness”. People identify shyness with social phobia, social anxiety disorders, and feelings of being alone and/or depressed so why not label it with a prescription? Direct-to- consumer advertising and sharing of medications are issue that contribute to the encouragement of substance abuse but the bigger concern is that substance abuse is frequently looked at from an individualistic standpoint when in fact the problems seem to be societal.