Space of lifestyles in Finland, 2007 and 2018: Continuity, change, and the role of online activities and everyday participation

Abstract

Has the space of lifestyles – a relational, holistic model of cultural stratification in a society – changed in recent years, marked by the rise of digitalization and social media? Does a better coverage of mundane “everyday participation”, besides conventional cultural indicators, change our view of the space of lifestyles? To tackle these questions, we construct the space of lifestyles in Finland for 2007 and 2018 using two repeated surveys, applying multiple correspondence analysis. With identical sets of indicators, we project observations from 2018 to the model of 2007 as supplementary individuals, which allows us to examine gradual changes in the space. We then build a more comprehensive model for 2018 that includes indicators of online and everyday practices not available in 2007. Measured identically, the results show considerable stability, whereas adding the impact of online and everyday practices subjected the space of lifestyles to profound change.