Max weber argued that buying and use of certain commodities enhance/maintain status in society, he called this 'status symbol'. Which of the following represents status symbol?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Purchase of Redmi Note 11 mobile phone
Option (1) Purchase of Redmi Note 11 mobile phone — Correct. Weber pointed out that the goods people buy and use are closely related to their status in society. Among the middle class in India today, the brand of cell phone one owns is an important marker of socio-economic status, so a branded phone works as a status symbol.
Option (2) Purchase of non-branded wrist watch — Incorrect. A watch with no brand is bought for its use, to tell the time. It carries no name that tells others anything about the owner’s status.
Option (3) Purchase of sunglasses from a hawker — Incorrect. Cheap sunglasses from a street seller are bought for their use and low price, not to display status.
Option (4) Purchase of clothes from roadside stall — Incorrect. Unbranded clothes from a roadside stall are likewise bought for need and price; they mark no special status.
NCERT (2025-26): “4.2 Understanding Capitalism as a Social System … One of sociology’s founders, Max Weber, was among the first to point out that the goods that people buy and use are closely related to their status in society. He coined the term status symbol to describe this relationship. For example, among the middle class in India today, the brand of cell phone or the model of car that one owns are important markers of socio-economic status. Weber also wrote about how classes and status groups are differentiated on the basis of their lifestyles.” |