Like any other science, social science has led to discovering new ideologies and evidence through a continued exploration of hypothetical perceptions. Stuart Firestein (2013) in “The Pursuit of Ignorance” argued that science traces its evidence from the unknown and that the acknowledgment of what data fails to solidify fuels scientific discoveries. However, the uncovering of testable proof yields more questions making science a never-ending cycle where acquired evidence informs another question. Although it is widely acknowledged that not all solutions are discoverable through science, scientists continually strive to improve the quality of life by scaling an upward spiral of knowledge.
The human environment experiences dynamism, resulting in the need to respond to emerging issues (Michie, 2015). Using Firestein’s argument as a springboard, science’s continuous discovery model is arguably evident in several contemporary social science studies and themes. Today, through sociology, social science has attempted to address critical thematic concerns such as the role of social support in breast cancer fights and the impact of social media on social life.
Evidence from social science research on Facebook use has yielded many perspectives on human social themes. The survey also associated the thematic trend of social media use with several reasons, such as the urge to build relationships. The most vital indications underscored that social media could influence a person’s body image and how people present themselves in social spheres (Wilson et al., 2012). The outcomes also revealed that individuals are typically concerned about other people’s perceptions of them and that this platform is instrumental in impacting their socialization characteristics.
Cancer, especially breast cancer, has continued to be another central concern in many societies. In the modern-day world, social science plays a crucial role in identifying other alternative avenues for addressing this thematic issue. For instance, the University of Chicago’s investigative research posited that women without strong social support would be more vulnerable to breast cancer (“Can social support help,” 2006). Ms. Sarah Gehlert, who led the study, highlighted that experimental laboratory results indicated spontaneous mammary cancers for animals, mostly when the specimen was socially withdrawn (“Can social support help,” 2006). These thematic discoveries highlight science’s vitality, especially social science, in addressing the ever-growing societal concerns.
The value of social science in the growing bodies of researches like those mentioned earlier cannot be understated. According to Zevallos (2009), this field of knowledge is primarily concerned with changing today’s social status. For instance, investigations into Facebook’s influence on user social behavior or the research on the impact of socialism on breast cancer provide instrumental grounds through which critical social concerns can be addressed. Social science inquiries remain valuable to the developing body of research because, like any scientific discovery, it forms a continuous framework through which unpredictable but significant dynamics in human life can be understood. The environment’s uncertainty and rapid dynamism underscore the need for a scientific model to facilitate the analysis of human actions, particularly during the era typified by the increased competition for resources.
Today, social science research and scientific thought remain valuable in communities for one main reason. As Zevallos (2009) argues, these frameworks have enabled humans to study every experience, such as childbirth practices, attitudes, and rituals related to death. Social science is also an instrumental lens through which the development of meaning occurs, and new ideas are created to address social ills and injustices. For instance, sociology plays a crucial role in actively enforcing societal changes through such aspects as politics, particularly political activism (Zevallos 2009). Furthermore, as indicated in the survey by Wilson et al. (2012), this field of knowledge has played a significant role in improving people’s understanding of the impact of social media, for example, Facebook on a person’s social life. It facilitates the assessment of behavior in a natural setting and hypothesis testing. Social science has triggered the development of new concepts, such as consumer behavior, which are critical in addressing sustainability, a conceptualization that had been previously ignored.
References
Can Social support help in breast cancer fight? (2006). NPR. Web.
Firestein, S. (2013). The pursuit of ignorance [Video]. Youtube. Web.
Michie, J. (2015). Why the social sciences matter? University World News. Web.
Wilson, R. E., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, L. T. (2012). A review of Facebook research in the social sciences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(3), 203–220. Web.
Zevallos, Z. (2009). What is Applied Sociology? A Brief Introduction on Applied Sociology. Sociology at Work. Web.