This prestige is what Bourdieu terms symbolic capital . Symbolic capital is, in essence, economic or political capital that is misrecognized and thereby perceived as legitimate. The artist engages in a "labor of denial"—a collective effort to deny the economic interests underlying their work. The artist must "lose" money to gain prestige. As Bourdieu famously notes, the artist who sells out is the one who produces for the market; the artist who succeeds in the autonomous field is the one who appears to have no interest in profit.

While indispensable, the book has flaws:

At the heart of Bourdieu’s theory is the concept of the "field." He argues that cultural works are not the solitary emanations of a singular genius, nor are they mere reflections of the broader socio-economic infrastructure. Instead, they are the product of the intersection between an agent’s habitus (dispositions) and their position within a specific field.

The tension between "authentic" creators and "sponsored" content is a perfect modern example of the struggle between the autonomous and heteronomous poles. Conclusion