The status of being or the achievement of becoming? Towards better understandings of cars as status symbols

ABSTRACT

This research responds to claims that status motivates car use. It extends understandings of what status is and of how status influences car use practices. The paper begins with a theoretical exploration of the concept of status and continues with a case study exploring how individuals in Christchurch, New Zealand, relate to status concerns associated with cars. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research, the paper finds that participants conceptualised status in terms of multidimensional hybrid assemblages of meaning. Further, a car had to match a person’s wider social and cultural context in order to perform as a status symbol. Cars that symbolised a sense of intentional accomplishment or progression were most often associated with desired dimensions of status. The paper concludes by noting that status symbolism reflects a complex interplay of social dynamics, and that status is more than a characteristic of a material object.

Resumen

Esta investigación responde a las afirmaciones de que el estatus motiva el uso de automóviles. Amplía la comprensión de lo que es el estatus y de cómo el estatus influye en las prácticas de uso del automóvil. El artículo comienza con una exploración teórica del concepto de estatus y continúa con un estudio de caso que explora cómo las personas en Christchurch, Nueva Zelanda, se relacionan con las preocupaciones de estatus asociadas con los automóviles. Basándose en una investigación cualitativa en profundidad, el artículo encuentra que los participantes conceptualizaron el estatus en términos de ensamblajes híbridos multidimensionales de significado. Además, un automóvil tenía que coincidir con el contexto social y cultural más amplio de una persona para funcionar como un símbolo de estatus. Los coches que simbolizaban un sentido de logro o progresión intencional se asociaban con mayor frecuencia con las dimensiones deseadas de estatus. El artículo concluye señalando que el simbolismo de estatus refleja una interacción compleja de dinámicas sociales, y que el estatus es más que una característica de un objeto material.

Résumé

Cette recherche répond aux affirmations que le statut social motive l’utilisation de la voiture. Elle étoffe la compréhension de ce qu’est le statut et la manière dont celui-ci influence les pratiques concernant les voitures. Cet article commence avec une exploration théorique du concept de statut et continue avec une étude de cas qui examine la manière dont les habitants de Christchurch, en Nouvelle-Zélande, perçoivent les questions de statut liées aux automobiles. En s’appuyant sur une recherche qualitative approfondie, l’article découvre que les participants ont conceptualisé le statut en termes d’agencements hybrides et multidimensionnels de définitions. En outre, une voiture doit correspondre au contexte social et culturel plus large d’une personne pour opérer comme signe de réussite sociale. Les voitures qui symbolisent un sens d’accomplissement ou de progression intentionnel(le) étaient le plus souvent associées aux dimensions de réussite sociale souhaitées. L’article conclut en remarquant que le symbolisme du statut reflète une interaction complexe de dynamiques sociales, et qu’il est plus qu’une caractéristique d’un objet matériel.

KEYWORDS:

• Status
• car use
• driving
• achievement
• assemblage

Palabras llave:

• estatus
• uso del automóvil
• conducir
• logro
• ensamblaje

Mots-clefs:

• statut
• voiture
• conduite automobile
• réussite
• agencement

Acknowledgments

I would like to extend a massive THANK YOU to all the participants in this research. Without their efforts, commitment, candidness, and good humour, this research would not have been possible. My sincere thanks also go to the anonymous reviewers whose thorough and insightful feedback has led to considerable improvements to the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Weber’s use of the German word Stand is often translated into English as ‘status’. As there are some differences between interpretations of the words Stand and status (Szelényi, 2009; Waters & Waters, 2010) translating Weber’s Stand as status in a discussion of definitions of status seems likely to lead to confusion. The term social honour, which is also used by Weber, is used here in place of Stand to avoid confusion.

2. If we define status as a desired position in a hierarchy (which some authors appear to do) then status necessarily (and tautologically) contributes to the appeal of anything with which it is associated. Such a definition would not be particularly useful from an analytical perspective.

3. This is the case at least in developed contexts in Europe, North America, and Australasia. Further research in more diverse contexts would be beneficial. (A notable exception to the usual geographical and cultural focus is the work of David Ashmore and colleagues (see for example, Ashmore et al., 2018)).

4. In some contexts, being sufficiently successful at selling drugs to afford an expensive car may be an accomplishment-based indication of status, however, Stephen R. did not reflect on that possibility.