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The textuality of markets

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Abstract

Although social embeddedness is an important and enduring aspect of markets, markets are also increasingly embedded in text—by which I mean alpha-numeric characters that stand in for phonetic spoken language. In this piece, I explore how text and textual thinking is an important precursor to certain forms of exchange behavior, mediates the market, and impedes or facilitates exchange. Looking at the affordances of text and textuality, I consider the ways that text orients the social practices critical to market exchange through its archival and public nature.

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Notes

  1. Oberlo https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/how-many-people-shop-online#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20the%20number%20of,hit%202.14%20billion%20by%202021.

  2. It may seem trite to argue that text is meant to convey meaning, but consider the sheer amount of digital text that serves other purposes such as coding language, spam, error messages, and many other taken for granted ephemera.

  3. https://www.pelobuddy.com/tribes/

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Bruce Carruthers, Jeffrey Glover, Edward Zajac and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. Thanks for your help!

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  1. Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications and Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1870 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60202, USA

    Ashlee Humphreys

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Humphreys, A. The textuality of markets. AMS Rev 11, 304–315 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-021-00205-z

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