New media use and subjective social status

Abstract

Inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s class theory and other related theoretical resources, this paper conceptualizes new media as a form of capital and resource to be utilized for perceiving reality. Guided by this conception, this paper explores the relationship between new media use and subjective social status. Analyzing data from the Shanghai Survey, this study shows that new media adoption and use pattern each has an independent influence on individuals’ sense of their social positions in a stratified society, especially for its cultural dimension. Based on the findings, this paper argues that the expansion of new media resources is not only embedded with the social stratification, but also has the potential to reproduce and perpetuate the systemic logic of social stratification.