ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Symbolic culture

Symbolic culture refers to the different kinds of things that people use to communicate meaning, ideas, and feelings with each other. It's like when we use words to talk to one another or when we use certain gestures to convey our feelings.

Now, imagine that you are playing a game with your friends, and you make a secret signal that only your team knows to help them win. That signal is an example of symbolic culture because it's a simple gesture that represents something else. With symbolic culture, people can create things that help them to convey complex ideas and emotions to others, like how a heart emoji means love or a thumbs up signifies approval.

Symbolic culture also includes things like traditions, customs, and rituals. For example, during Thanksgiving, you might eat turkey and pumpkin pie, which may not have any direct connection to the original holiday. But they have become symbolic of the Thanksgiving celebration, and people across generations continue to enjoy these customs.

So, in summary, symbolic culture is all about the different ways that people communicate with each other to share ideas, feelings, and traditions. It can be through gestures, symbols, or even language. Symbolic culture is what helps us to understand the world around us, and it's how we connect with others.