Research On Group Differentiation And Identity Of Luxury Consumption

It was in 1990s that luxury goods first came into China, while the boom of luxury consumption began in 2004 to 2005. In view of the current boom, the interest of this study is about the group differentiation and identity of luxury consumption.Based on Bourdieu's social distinction theory and Baudrillard's symbolic consumption theory, this paper takes the luxury consumption group as the objective and selects one of the most well-know luxury brands as the case. Guided by Goffman's social dramatic theory, the paper regards luxury consumption as a concept of front stage, and conducts a two-month long field work to observe the group differentiation and their social identities in Guomao Shopping Mall in Beijing.The study found three main groups of luxury consumption which distribute in the shape of a pyramid. They are named as Upper Class, New Nobility and The Majority from up to down. Upper Class and New Nobility are the main actual buyers, while The Majority are acting with the most significant number in luxury world. With abundant economic and cultural capital, the Upper Class has developed Luxury Taste. New Nobility is a newly arisen rich group. In their consumption, luxury goods are the symbol of money to reflect their economic status. The Majority has the most important research value among the three. Their behaviors are full of contradictions and dramatic performances; they constructed their social identity subjectively through the different imagination of the Upper Class.This study suggested that luxury goods are the most representative illusive symbol in consumption society. The fact that luxury goods are widely accepted and chased reflects the illusiveness of the consumption groups. The social identity that New Nobility and The Majority constructed in luxury consumption is a subjective construction. Luxury goods, as a typical social distinction symbol, its social distinction logic system are strictly embedded in the society.