HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Labelling or using a label is describing someone or something in a word or short phrase. For example, the
label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...
"criminal" may be used to describe someone who has broken a law.
Labelling theory Labeling theory posits that self-identity and the behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them. It is associated with the concepts of self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping. Labeling ...
is a theory in
sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
which ascribes labelling of people to control and identification of deviant behaviour. It has been argued that labelling is necessary for communication. However, the use of the term is often intended to highlight the fact that the ''label'' is a description applied from the outside, rather than something intrinsic to the labelled thing. This can be done for several reasons: * To provoke a discussion about what the best description is * To reject a particular label * To reject the whole idea that the labelled thing can be described in a short phrase. This last usage can be seen as an accusation that such a short description is overly- reductive. Giving something a label can be seen as positive, but the term ''label'' is not usually used in this case. For example, giving a name to a common identity is seen as essential in
identity politics Identity politics is politics based on a particular identity, such as ethnicity, Race (human categorization), race, nationality, religion, Religious denomination, denomination, gender, sexual orientation, Socioeconomic status, social background ...
. Labelling is often equivalent to pigeonholing or the use of
stereotypes In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...
and can suffer from the same problems as these activities. The labelling of people can be related to a
reference group In the social sciences, social groups can be categorized based on the various group dynamics that define social organization.Boundless team.Types of Social Groups" ''Social Groups and Organization'' Open_educational_resources.html" ;"title="nowi ...
. For example, the labels ''black'' and ''white'' are related to
black people Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ...
and
white people White is a Race (human categorization), racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry. It is also a Human skin color, skin color specifier, although the definition can var ...
; the labels ''young'' and ''old'' are related to young people and old people. The labelling of works of art can be related to
genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
. For example, a piece of music may be described as
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
or indie or ragga jungle drum and bass. However, there are other labels that can be applied to a work, such as
derivative In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is t ...
, low or
high High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...
. The use of the word labelling is less common in the context of works of art than people. However, it also often represents the rejection of a label. For example, an
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
may feel that the labeller is attempting to restrict the scope of the artist's work to that which is covered by the label.


On the internet

Labelling on the web represents the chunks of information in information environments, where labelling is perhaps the most obvious way to show a site's organization schemes across multiple systems and contexts. Labelling systems are one of the major components in
information architecture Information architecture (IA) is the structural design of shared information environments; the art and science of organizing and labelling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability; and an emerging ...
, and one of the first steps of an information architecture project is to identify, organize and label relevant chunks of information. When creating labels, the goal is to communicate efficiently, and without taking up too much space. Labels should be written in a language that's familiar to the users, and in a way that they will detect new and recognize similar concepts. In an information environment, labels are either textual or iconic.


Textual labels

Contextual links are
hyperlink In computing, a hyperlink, or simply a link, is a digital reference providing direct access to Data (computing), data by a user (computing), user's point and click, clicking or touchscreen, tapping. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to ...
s to information on other pages or another location on the same page, and need to draw meaning from their surrounding text. Labels are often used as headings to present subsequent information and create a hierarchy within contents. A hierarchical relationship between headings is established visually through consistent use of numbering, font size, color and styles, white spaces, indentation, or a combination of these items. When used in a navigation system there is no standard, but common categories might be: * Main, Main Page, Home * Search, Find, Browse, Search/Browse * Site Map, Contents, Table of contents, Index * Contact, Contact Us * Help, FAQ, * News, News and events, News and announcements, Announcements * About, About us, About, Who we are. Index terms are often referred to as keywords, tags, descriptive metadata, taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, and thesauri. Such labelling systems can describe any type of content such as sites, subsites, pages, or content chunks.


Iconic labels

Icons can serve as a substitute for text to represent information. Iconic labels are used as navigation systems, especially in mobile apps, where screen space is constrained.


In argumentation

In context of argumentation and debate, labelling a debater or position is often (whether consciously or unconsciously) used as a "
red herring A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences toward a false conclusion. A red herring may be used intentiona ...
" to divert or dismiss the argument, instead of valid
argumentation An argument is a series of sentences, statements, or propositions some of which are called premises and one is the conclusion. The purpose of an argument is to give reasons for one's conclusion via justification, explanation, and/or persu ...
. Often in the form of ad hominem association fallacy aiming at accrediting or discrediting the argument or the debater by associating them with an emotionally charged label. Typically negatively; labelling it as ridiculous or despicable, though it can also go the other way round; attempting to gain sympathy for example by promoting the debater or position as
authoritative Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or group of other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' may be practiced by legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government,''The New Fontana Dictionary of Moder ...
, or by appealing to
pity Pity is a sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering of others. The word is comparable to ''compassion'', '' condolence'', or ''empathy''. It derives from the Latin (etymon also of ''piety''). Self-pity is pity directed towards oneself. Two d ...
. Using labelling in argumentation this way constitute an
informal fallacy Informal fallacies are a type of incorrect argument in natural language. The source of the error is not just due to the ''form'' of the argument, as is the case for formal fallacies, but can also be due to their ''content'' and ''context''. Fallac ...
. For example: :"Jones believes that it can be done with the right technology." ::"Jones is a ''deluded fool''." (ie. therefore it can never be done.) :"The witness claim to have seen something that indicates foul play." ::"It is ''paranoid'' to assume foul play." (ie. therefore whatever the witness might have seen is irrelevant.) :"Markings indicate that it was done with a crowbar. And secondly, Smith is a suspect." ::"It is ''ridiculous'' to suspect Smith." (ie. therefore it is also ridiculous to assume it was done with a crowbar.) :"It has been suggested that something it said in the book could be wrong." ::"It is a ''very noble'' book." (ie. Therefore the suggestion is wrong.)


Labelling in science

Mario Bunge Mario Augusto Bunge ( ; ; September 21, 1919 – February 24, 2020) was an Argentine-Canadian philosopher and physicist. His philosophical writings combined scientific realism, systemism, materialism, emergentism, and other principles. He was a ...
(1967) rejected labelling (labeling) as 'name calling' and 'pseudo-explanation'. Furthermore, he observed that it 'is conspicuous in ideological debate, in pseudoscience, and even in the early stages of science (protoscience).'


See also

{{Portal, Society, Psychology *
Archetype The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...
*
Association fallacy The association fallacy is a formal fallacy that asserts that properties of one thing must also be properties of another thing if both things belong to the same group. For example, a fallacious arguer may claim that "bears are animals, and bears a ...
* Attributional bias *
Discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
*
Infrahumanisation Infrahumanisation (or infrahumanization) is the tacitly held belief that one's Ingroups and outgroups, ingroup is more human than an outgroup, which is less human. It can also be subjectively defined as a result of group comparison that links wi ...
*
Labelling theory Labeling theory posits that self-identity and the behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them. It is associated with the concepts of self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping. Labeling ...
* Loser * Pigeonholing *
Role suction Role suction is a term introduced in the United States by Fritz Redl in the mid-20th century to describe the power of a social group to allocate roles to its members. W. R. Bion's group dynamics further explored the ways whereby the group (unco ...
*
Slut-shaming Slut-shaming is the practice of criticizing people, especially women and girls, who violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. It may also be used in reference to gay men, who may face disapproval for ...
*
Social stigma Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...
*
Stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...


References

Labels Labeling theory Sociological terminology Sociological theories Stereotypes Information architecture