Through Which Channels Do Adolescents Internalize Symbolic Meanings Embodied in Luxury Products?

Abstract

The upgrade in consumption has transformed luxury goods into symbols that reflect aesthetic taste and social status, with platforms like Xiaohongshu and TikTok serving as the primary channels through which teenagers access information about luxury products. Existing research predominantly focuses on adult populations, lacking systematic analyses of how adolescents perceive and internalize the symbolic value of luxury items in digital environments. The study employs a mixed-method approach combining symbolic consumption, cultural capital, and consumer socialization theories with literature review, case analysis, and text-based quantitative coding, analyzing authentic youth-generated user-generated content from both platforms between 2023 and 2025. Results indicate that adolescents acquire luxury symbols through four primary channels: influencer recommendations, brand online promotions, peer interactions, and celebrity-endorsed products; they categorize luxury goods into three types—top-tier luxury, light luxury, and trend-driven luxury—with differentiated perceptions; brands achieve symbolic penetration through daily narratives, limited-edition marketing, and emotional connections; adolescent value absorption exhibits a polarized pattern, with 61.3% exhibiting blind acceptance that fosters comparison anxiety, while 38.7% critically evaluate positive attributes such as craftsmanship and design. This study reconstructs the complete dissemination chain of luxury symbols but solely utilizes online second-hand data without segmenting the adolescent population, resulting in subjective bias in the sample. To foster healthy consumption habits among adolescents, collaborative governance involving platforms, families, schools, and brands is essential.