From a sociological imagination, the use of magazine or a book by a family can be explained based on various perspectives. A family can be fond of a book/magazine to identify with its social background. Different magazines/books cover various social contexts.
Some cover the social lives of high class people, others middle class and others, lower class people in the society. According to Randall and Scott (2000), an individual or a family would want to identify with the cultural situations that they think they are in, to understand what the other families or individuals in the same social situations go through. The type of dressing, love, and property found in a family is mainly contributed by its social class factor. Therefore, a family or an individual in a family might explore a certain book/magazine that covers other families of the same social class, to identify with their social factors. A family would want to discover the privileges or problems similar families in the society have, as presented in the book/magazine/movie and hence compare with them.
The type of a family and the relationship among all its members will also influence their use of books/magazines/movies. A book/magaine/movie might be based on a nuclear, polygamous or even extended family. All these families do not share similar relationships among its members. It is very rare for a nuclear family or an individual from such a family to get used to reading a book/magazine based on extended or polygamous families, and the vice-versa. This is because a family may be propelled to constantly use a magazine/book/movie, to understand relationship issues found in other similar types of families. Through this way, the family can identify with other similar families similar in the society and hence be able to understand itself better.
A family would want to reflect on its past background, that is, where they have come from, and where they are intending to be in future. According to Wright (1959), families undergo various structural changes along with the wider community both socially and economically. Therefore, a family may be accustomed to movies or magazines, which cover other families or individuals who have undergone the same changes to identify and understand these changes better. In this way, an individual or a family gets to imagine what the future would be like, as portrayed in the movie/book. The other factor that may coerce a family to get used to a movie/book/magazine is the religious beliefs, traditions, and practices that it is founded on. Different movies, books, magazine, and newspapers cover stories based on different religions beliefs and practices.
Therefore, a family is most likely to get used to a book, movie or magazine that covers the religious beliefs, traditions and practices that it is based on. Through the use of such a book or magazine, a family can identify with other families, which are trapped in the same beliefs and practices and hence, understand their impacts on their lives. The political aspects of a family may also influence its use of a movie, book, magazine or a newspaper. A family gets used to reading books or watching movies that are based on the political values it holds. Through this, the family gets to understand better, the political values it beliefs in and their implication in both its political and social life.
Evidently, sociology is important in understanding a family through teaching the norms and values similar and different in families. It helps people to identify with social classes and groups they belong to thereby improving their relationships.
