OK, is the middle class "shrinking" because of upward mobility? If I'm going to talk about upward mobility anywhere, it's here. I largely suspect the middle class isn't disappearing at all, but the combination of social media and increasing social mobility is rubbing middle class precariousness deep into their faces. A huge portion of the middle class thinks that other classes are immoral and measures their worth by working to earn a lot of money, and the poor don't have a lot of money, while the rich don't work to earn it. I personally think that kind of person is just getting what they deserve now and floundering in an illusion.