Extended Abstract

Introducti:Cultural transformations in Iran during the past decade, concurrent with the expansion of the digital lifeworld, have profoundly reshaped the structures of meaning-making among younger generations. Generation Z, as the first cohort to be fully socialized within digital and online media environments, demonstrates distinctive patterns of experience, identity formation, and interpretation of the social world. These changes have not only influenced the individual sphere but have also penetrated institutional and structural dimensions, confronting traditional fields of meaning production with new competitive dynamics. The present study aims to explore the changing meanings of life among Iranian Generation Z between 2013 and 2023 and to analyze the implications of these changes for the symbolic order of society. The central question is how the transformation in this generation’s habitus has led to a reconfiguration of the fields of meaning and a shift in cultural authority patterns.

Methods:This qualitative and exploratory study is grounded in Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework, particularly utilizing the concepts of field, habitus, capital, and symbolic violence. The research method combines meta-synthesis and meta-analysis of secondary data produced in the last decade. To this end, a systematic examination of credible Iranian studies in the areas of Generation Z, lifestyle, religiosity, cultural identity, and media consumption from 2013 to 2023 was conducted. The integrative analysis involved conceptual coding and analytical categorization at three levels micro, meso, and macro in order to reveal multilayered patterns of semantic transformation. The reliability of the findings was enhanced through constant comparison across multiple studies and by validating conceptual overlaps among them.

Results and Discussion:Findings indicate that, at the micro level, a distinct habitus is emerging among Generation Z, characterized by flexible individualism, autonomous agency, reflexivity, and a deep reliance on the digital sphere. In this configuration, the body and everyday lifestyle have become arenas for identity expression and symbolic resistance, challenging earlier forms of cultural surveillance and normative control. At the meso level, traditional fields of meaning production particularly those related to religion and gender are entering new states of symbolic competition. The transition from institutional religiosity to more individualized and fluid forms of spirituality, along with the redefinition of gender roles within social media contexts, has eroded the monopolistic meaning-making authority of formal institutions. At the macro level, these shifts have produced a reordering of cultural authority and a redistribution of symbolic capital: sources of cultural legitimacy have increasingly moved from hierarchical, top-down structures to horizontal and interactive networks. Consequently, conventional tools of socialization and value transmission have lost much of their effectiveness when confronted with the fluid, decentralized habitus of this generation.

Conclusions:The overall findings suggest that Iranian society is experiencing a “field of competition for meaning” in which Generation Z acts as an active agent in redefining the boundaries of symbolic legitimacy. A continued reliance on unidirectional and hierarchical modes of value transmission is likely to diminish social capital and deepen intergenerational divides. Conversely, a transition toward symbolic negotiation, recognition of semantic plurality, and a more equitable redistribution of symbolic capital can foster the reconstruction of social cohesion amid ongoing transformations. Therefore, effective cultural policymaking requires a nuanced understanding of the dynamics of emerging meaning fields and an acknowledgment of the active, creative role of new generations in producing and redefining meaning.