SOC 100 Short Answer Quiz 4 Complete The Quiz In A Word Docu

SOC 100short Answer Quiz 4 complete The Quiz In A Word Document This

Describe how property, power, and prestige influence your personal social class, referring to their roles in structuring social stratification and individual social positioning.

According to Marx’s conflict perspective, identify your social class and justify your classification by discussing factors like your economic position, class consciousness, and relationship with the means of production.

From your perspective, analyze current shifts in global stratification and discuss how these changes impact the political and economic influence of the United States on the world stage.

In the context of the U.S. economic situation today, project the potential effects on social mobility and the American Dream, considering recent economic trends, income inequality, and opportunities for advancement.

Describe the Horatio Alger myth—its core premise of individual success through hard work—and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses for men and women based on personal experience and broader social realities.

Choose one or two social media platforms (such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat), and perform the following:

• Describe the self-enhancement and self-verification motives underlying self-esteem within social media content.
• Evaluate the posts/pages from these platforms through the lens of self-presentation, considering how users portray themselves.
• Identify which motive (self-enhancement or self-verification) appears most prevalent, providing examples while avoiding specific personal identifiers.
• Discuss whether the online portrayals of individuals are accurate, supporting your stance with reasoning about online authenticity and impression management.
• Explain whether exposure to social factors on social media influences individual behavior and the development of the social self, incorporating social psychological terms like self-concept, social comparison, and identity.
• Outline the positive and negative aspects associated with social media platforms, drawing on scholarly research to support your evaluation.

Ensure your responses are grounded in at least two scholarly resources, formatted according to the APA Style Guide. An abstract is not required.

Paper For Above instruction

The influence of property, power, and prestige on personal social class is fundamental to understanding social stratification. Property, which encompasses material possessions and economic assets, directly affects one's ability to access resources and social opportunities. Power, the ability to influence others and control resources, often determines one's social standing and capacity to shape societal structures. Prestige, or societal respect and recognition, further delineates social hierarchies based on occupation, education, or familial status. Together, these factors construct an individual's position within the social hierarchy, influencing life chances, social interactions, and opportunities for mobility (Maxwell, 2014).

According to Marx’s conflict perspective, individuals are classified into social classes based on their relationship to the means of production. My personal classification aligns with the working class, as I am employed in a sector that produces goods/services but does not own the means of production. Marx emphasized that the bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat, creating ongoing class conflict. This perspective highlights the economic disparities and power imbalances that perpetuate social inequality, making class consciousness crucial for understanding one's position within this stratification system (Marx & Engels, 1992).

Current shifts in global stratification reveal a complex reorganization of economic powers, with developing nations gaining influence against traditional Western dominance. The rise of China and other emerging economies has diminished the unipolarity historically held by the United States, affecting its political and economic influence globally. These changes have led to increased competition, altered geopolitical alliances, and prompted shifts in foreign policy. Economically, the U.S. faces challenges related to maintaining its status as a global leader, as wealth becomes more concentrated in fictional regions, and global inequalities intensify (World Bank, 2021).

In the context of the U.S. economic climate, social mobility and the American Dream face significant challenges. Economic disparities, stagnating wages, and high costs of education and healthcare threaten upward mobility for many Americans. As income inequality widens, fewer individuals are able to achieve socioeconomic advancement solely through hard work and perseverance—core tenets of the American Dream. Consequently, social mobility may decline, reinforcing existing class divisions and societal stratification (Reardon, 2011).

The Horatio Alger myth embodies the idea that hard work and perseverance can lead to upward social mobility, regardless of social background. Although inspiring, this myth oversimplifies reality by ignoring systemic barriers such as racial discrimination, educational inequalities, and economic hardships. From personal experience, men often find opportunities for success rooted in individual effort; however, women may encounter additional barriers, such as gender bias and limited access to certain positions. The myth's strength lies in motivating individuals to pursue success, but its weakness is the tendency to blame individuals for structural inequalities (Scharrer, 2013).

Regarding social media, platforms like Instagram and TikTok serve as virtual showcases of self-presentation. Self-enhancement motives drive users to craft images that boost their self-esteem, often through curated content emphasizing personal achievements, attractiveness, or social accomplishments. Conversely, self-verification motives lead individuals to seek consistency in their self-presentations, affirming their existing self-concepts (Leary & Baumeister, 2000).

The posts and profiles I observed predominantly reflect self-enhancement motives, as users frequently shared polished images or success stories to garner admiration and approval. For example, users often post achievement-related content, seeking validation from followers. However, some content reveals self-verification motives, where individuals seek to portray a consistent self-image aligned with their identity, even if less glamorous.

Online portraits tend to be somewhat idealized and curated for social approval, making them often inaccurate representations of real-life identities. This disparity raises questions about authenticity, as individuals tend to present idealized versions of themselves to conform to social norms and gain positive feedback (Goffman, 1959).

Exposing individuals to social factors on social media influences their behavior and self-concept development via mechanisms like social comparison and impression management. Social comparison theory posits that users evaluate themselves against others, which can enhance self-esteem or cause inadequacy. Impression management involves strategically presenting oneself to influence perceptions, affecting how individuals construct their social self (Festinger, 1954; Goffman, 1959).

Social media has both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, it facilitates social connection, knowledge sharing, and community building. Conversely, it may contribute to mental health issues like anxiety and depression due to cyberbullying, social comparison, and validation dependence. It also fosters superficial interactions that can diminish genuine relationships. Scholarly research underscores the importance of balanced social media use to mitigate negative impacts while leveraging its benefits (Keles, McCrae, & Grealish, 2020).

References

• Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117-140.
• Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Anchor Books.
• Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79-93.
• Leary, M. R., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). The nature and functions of self-esteem: Sociometer theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 32, 1-62.
• Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1992). The communist manifesto. Penguin Classics.
• Maxwell, N. (2014). Social stratification: A theoretical overview. Sociology Compass, 8(8), 952-961.
• Reardon, S. F. (2011). The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and the poor. Perspectives on Politics, 9(2), 481-491.
• Scharrer, E. (2013). Media and the social construction of gender. In G. M. Morgan (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of gender and communication (pp. 297-312). SAGE Publications.
• World Bank. (2021). Global economic prospects. World Bank Publications.