Posted: September 13th, 2017

Functionalist/Structual Functionalist in Social Media

Functionalist/Structual Functionalist in Social Media

Order Description

** Style needs to be ASA

I have chosen to write about social networking and how it has had a huge impact on society within the last four to five years. Sites such a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have literally changed the way teenagers, students and colleagues interact with one other. One site in particular that I would like to focus on is Twitter. A social networking site that has millions of users and allows them publish posts up to 140 characters long. Notable users who use this site are Barack Obama, John Mayer, Kim Kardashian and other large media groups. This website is basically like a digital billboard and has had a pretty big impact on the way people/businesses communicate. This website is also in the form of an app which makes it convievent for the everyday smart phone user to get access to.

I would like this paper to analyze twitter through a Functionalist Lens. Specifically focusing on Durkheim and Parsons and the way they project society as an ideal picture of a harmonious social relationship that is concerned with the maintenance of the social order and it’s functionality.

Two references from the required text is preferred

*BOOK REQUIRED* (Delaney, Tim. 2014. Classical and Contemporary Social Theory. New York: Pearson)

**(THESE ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PAPER)

Purpose: To be able to affectively apply the Consensus Theoretical Paradigm (functionalist/structural functionalist) to a cyberspace activity/phenomena that you have chosen and has been approved. You will be using some particular theorist’s line of argument or, a particular concept (for example: social facts, integration, function, solidarity, equilibrium, anomie, AGIL, systems, values and norms, etc) to serve as explanatory guides or tools to understand the particular cyberspace activity. In other words, you will be arguing that consensus functionalist theory (any variant of it) is a viable means of understand this particular cyberspace activity. This is not a place for criticism of Consensus Theories. You are to pretend to be a functionalist/structural-functionalist and through that perspective and with the use of theoretical tools and concepts, explore why we engage in this particular cyberspace activity.

Requirement:
1. 5 points – you should have already chosen an activity in cyberspace.

2. 80 points – you must, in 4 solid pages (Times Roman, 12 pt font, 1 inch margin, double space), present a compelling consensus functionalist/structural-functionalist argument for the particular cyberspace phenomena. You can either use one concept and explore it in detail, or, you can use a combination of consensus concepts … or, you can pretend to be a particular theorist giving a talk on this cyberspace activity. Remember that the key is that you are making a case for the validity of consensus/functionalist/structural-functionalist arguments and indicating that this paradigm offers valid tools to understand the phenomena. You must correctly use at least two (2) citations from our course reading. In addition, you can use other sources, but make sure to cite and reference correctly. Citations properly used and formatted with the inclusion of a reference page will be 20 points out of the 80. If using short quotes, make sure to properly cite in your paper and reference at the end of the paper. Check the ASA citations guide that is on the “Assignments” page in BB.

3. 15 points – since this is a writing assignment, you must pay attention to the following:
a. Check for proper grammar
b. Spell check
c. Proofread, proofread and proofread … over and over again
d. Make a logical argument
e. Have proper structure and proper flow in the paper

4. All assignments must be formatted in Microsoft Office. So, documents must have a “.doc” or “.docx” ending to their name. Only these documents can be attached in the assignment icon in Blackboard. If you turn in a different format, such as .wps or .rft or …, your submission will not be graded. We might not even get to it until after the last deadline and by then, you cannot make a change. Please check your formatting and avoid this problem.

5. Plagiarism – be aware of the negative consequences of doing this, do not be caught saying, “I didn’t know.” Penalties for any form of plagiarism may be an F on the assignment or an F for the course. Be aware and be diligent in order NOT to plagiarize