The Consumption Practices and Identity Formation of the Chinese Middle Class in the Media Era

During the past 40 years following the reform and opening-up policy of 1978, China’s social structure has seen great changes, which include the birth and rapid development of the Chinese middle class as a derivative and consequence of modernization. They are the main source of consumption in contemporary China and display unique characteristics in their consumption practices. Consumption is not only a daily practice, but also a means of demonstrating and forming identity. In this media era, media play an important role in people’s consumption practices and identity formation. In this study, semi-structured interviews were carried out with members of the Chinese middle class to study the relationship between consumption, identity, and media through their oral accounts. Moreover, problems, including the characteristics of middle-class consumption practices and how they use consumption to form identity, were analyzed. This study not only complements studies on the sociology of consumption of the Chinese middle class, but also is of great practical significance for deepening our understanding of the behavioral and ideological characteristics of the Chinese middle class.