On The New Cultural Intermediaries In The Shifting Aestheticization In Everyday Life

"New cultural intermediaries" is a concept proposed by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. He pointed out from the angle of social class segregation, that new cultural intermediaries were trying to imitate the lifestyle of the intellectuals, and they are the newly rising small bourgeoisie based on their cultural capital, social capital and economic capital. This paper will analyze the new cultural intermediaries in the following three chapters.The first chapter mainly introduces the concept of the new cultural intermediaries and the social context where this group rose and developed. New cultural intermediaries are those who are devoted to the production and dissemination of the symbol products among the social and cultural undertakings. Most of them are working in the so-called "cultural industry" sectors nowadays. The infiltration of mass culture into daily life has been blurring the boundaries of art and daily life, which contributes to the aesthetic transformation of everyday life. In this process, the new cultural intermediaries rise and grow up with the maturity of the culture market and art system.The second chapter presents the function of the new cultural intermediaries in aesthetic transformation in everyday life. They creatively package our daily-used cultural objects and beautify our living environment to expand the aesthetic fields and subvert the traditional aesthetic principles. They are the designers and followers of fashion. They improve their art accomplishment and sell their lifestyles marked by their tastes and style, using medium resources in hand.They show other people the standardized and idealized social life by shaping "consumption idols".The third chapter makes a comprehensive analysis of the cultural intermediaries from the perspective of their social positions, that is to say, their three identities:the masters of culture capital, new middle classes and new intellectuals. The new cultural intermediaries have a good understanding of market rules. Thus they can convert the cultural capital to economic capital through the market operation to become the new middle classes. Meanwhile, they also imitate the lifestyle of intellectuals, seek for a unique lifestyle and spread an idealized life standard higher than that of the public.The conclusion is a critical reflection of the new cultural intermediaries.