Sociologyspeaking topic
The Thomas theorem: 'If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.' Can something that is not real change the world simply because we believe in it?
— W. I. Thomas, the Thomas theorem
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- Lazarsfeld and Katz's two-step flow model: does the media reach us directly, or through opinion leaders we trust? Is it the message that changes our minds, or the people around us?
- Making friends as an adult is famously hard. Why is that, and was it ever actually easier?
- The algorithm as an invisible boss, how gig work logic crept into creative careers where nobody signs a contract but everybody obeys.
- Merton's strain theory: when society imposes the same goal (success) on everyone but distributes the means unequally, does crime become inevitable?
- Ritzer's McDonaldization: has fast-food logic (speed, calculability, standardization) spread everywhere from education to healthcare? Are we losing what is human in the name of efficiency?