Social status in virtual worlds An experience economy versus luxury consumption debate

Resumo

There have been markers of social status available in societies since the dawn of sociability. Since the popularization and standardization of social networking sites in the last decade, social status has shifted to resemble more experiences instead of consumer goods. That is, people, especially younger digital natives who grew up socializing online, have been found to be more likely to seek out experiences that will provide photographic opportunities to post onto their social networking profiles. This has been called the “Experience Economy”. Now, as virtual worlds and communities become more common destinations for socialization and community building, this study sets out to explore how social status will be conveyed within these new domains. Can experiences still be expected to remain significant markers of social status in virtual worlds as they have in physical worlds? Or can we expect a reversal back to conspicuous consumer goods as status markers in virtual worlds? This study will aim to conduct an in-depth analysis to investigate the behavioral nuances of what will likely be in between the two extremes; advancing our nascent understanding of how, why, and in what contexts virtual societies translate markers of social status. In turn, findings are expected to provide significant insights with far-reaching implications for industries ranging from virtual environment designers to advertisers and marketers aiming to bridge corporeal and virtual economies.