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The social infrastructure of online marketplaces: Trade, work and the interplay of decided and emergent orders
Journal
The British Journal of Sociology
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2022-06-03
Author(s)
Darr, Asaf
Abstract
This study is designed to remedy the tendency of existing studies to analyze online marketplaces as either sites of work or trading arenas.
We argue that the theoretical notion of “social infrastructure” is particularly apt to offer a comprehensive framework that captures the unique intersection of work and trade in online marketplaces. We
study the social infrastructure of an online marketplace:
the institutions, conditions and forms, and the horizontal and vertical ties between actors that organize work and enable trading. The social infrastructure of online market�places deserves research attention because it represents an essential condition for economic activities.
In our empirical section we focus on the online marketplace Etsy to illustrate our comprehensive theoretical framework and we identify a
complex dynamic between the decided and emergent order of the online marketplace. We demonstrate that the attempt to superimpose order through the constitution of an online marketplace is challenged by sellers and buyers.
We find that both dimensions, work and trade, provide actors with
material and symbolic resources that inform their strategies and economic actions. The article suggests that “social infrastructure” is a concrete theoretical tool for analyzing online marketplaces that complements existing research on platforms and ecosystems.
We argue that the theoretical notion of “social infrastructure” is particularly apt to offer a comprehensive framework that captures the unique intersection of work and trade in online marketplaces. We
study the social infrastructure of an online marketplace:
the institutions, conditions and forms, and the horizontal and vertical ties between actors that organize work and enable trading. The social infrastructure of online market�places deserves research attention because it represents an essential condition for economic activities.
In our empirical section we focus on the online marketplace Etsy to illustrate our comprehensive theoretical framework and we identify a
complex dynamic between the decided and emergent order of the online marketplace. We demonstrate that the attempt to superimpose order through the constitution of an online marketplace is challenged by sellers and buyers.
We find that both dimensions, work and trade, provide actors with
material and symbolic resources that inform their strategies and economic actions. The article suggests that “social infrastructure” is a concrete theoretical tool for analyzing online marketplaces that complements existing research on platforms and ecosystems.
Language
English
Keywords
economic sociology
Etsy
market design
market work
organization
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SHSS - Kulturen, Institutionen, Maerkte (KIM)
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons
Publisher place
New Jersey
Volume
73
Number
4
Start page
822
End page
838
Pages
17
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
267142