Стили жизни калининградской молодежи

Балтийский регион. 2022. Т. 14. № 3. С. 129–144.

Polyakov S.

Based on the analysis of leisure and consumer practices of students of two leading universities in Kaliningrad, the paper attempts to construct the actual space of lifestyles of Kaliningrad youth, as well as to identify and determine in terms of socio-economic and demographic characteristics the groups of young people and girls who are their carriers. A total of five style groups were identified: "party people" who prefer to spend their free time in bars and clubs, "hipsters" - frequenters of theaters and lecture halls, as well as active consumers of consumerist culture promoted through social networks, "normal" young people who choose physical activities and standard weekend leisure time, "young adults" who combine Soviet leisure heritage with creative and "do-it-yourself" practices, and homebodies who realize their leisure needs in the home space. Based on the discussion about the meaning of lifestyle in the context of modern society, the author concludes that lifestyles do not replace the usual markers of socio-economic stratification, but their ability to differentiate different in terms of access to economic and cultural resources of youth is also limited. Youth lifestyles in the sphere of leisure form an independent system of stratification, which partially coincides with existing social boundaries and partially overlaps them. The main dividing line runs between young people who can afford to choose from a "supermarket of styles" and those who are deprived of such opportunity.

Keywords: consumption, досуг, leisure, стили жизни, потребление, Lifestyles, Kaliningrad youth, калининградская молодежь