Final answer:
Peer groups indeed have a significant impact on individual behavior, serving as a reference group that influences norms, beliefs, and behaviors, especially during adolescence. With social media, peers can now extend globally, reinforcing existing beliefs and behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The standards of our peer groups can indeed have a dominant influence on our lives. Peer groups serve as a reference group, a term used to describe a group whose values, norms, and beliefs come to be the standard for our own behavior. Through the process of socialization, peer groups greatly influence our physical development, social behaviors, dress, communication, and even political views. The transition to adolescence further amplifies this influence as teenagers often look to their peers to understand social norms and to find a sense of belonging and identity. Political socialization could be affected by various factors, including family, religion, media, and peers, with the family generally being the most significant influence. However, with the increasing use of social media, the scope of peer influence extends as young people can now participate in global networks, sharing common interests and beliefs, and thus reinforcing existing ones.