Assembling the Self, Marking Boundaries: Consumption as a Practice of Identity and Social Distinction
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Abstract
This literature study critically examines consumption as a core social practice for identity construction and expression in contemporary society. Through a qualitative thematic synthesis of scholarly works from 2000 to 2013, the analysis addresses three focal points. First, it elucidates how material products, service subscriptions, and experiential consumption interact and complement each other in forming coherent individual identity narratives. Second, it explores the dialectic between individual agency and social structures particularly class and gender in shaping the choices and meanings attached to consumer goods. Third, it investigates the evolution of social distinction mechanisms within a fragmented cultural landscape and an experience-driven economy, moving beyond traditional hierarchical models towards forms based on cultural omnivorousness, experiential capital, and curatorial expertise. The study concludes that identity is assembled through curated bricolage of market-provided symbols, a process constrained by social structures yet expressing individual agency. Distinction increasingly operates through knowledge and performed experience rather than mere ownership. The findings contribute to a nuanced theoretical understanding of consumption’s role in social stratification and self-formation, highlighting new forms of symbolic inequality in digital and experiential capitalism.
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