Big data, konsumenten och vad som hände med ”bara titta”

Abstract

This article examines the digitization of consumption from a field work at fairs for e-commerce. It aims to investigate the cultural understandings of consumption and consumers that circulate at these events. Trade fairs stage the future and configure markets, technology and consumers. As a topic of research, trade fairs are interesting because they summarize what markets actors in a particular field find fascinating or troubling at a given moment. Building on an actor-network-theory inspired study of “market-things”, the article analyses the new digital market-things that are promoted on trade fairs and their relationship with the growing concern many shop keepers have for losing control over consumers; a result they fear follows on digitalization. The article argues that, at these trade fairs, consumers and consumption were always understood in relation to new technologies aimed at increasing sales. Five tightly intertwined innovations are identified: the expansion of physical boundaries; new time and spaces for consumption; new roles for consumers; the compensation for loss of senses; and attract and contain. All these innovations represent particular solutions that respond to the concerns many market actors have. Consumers were configured in specific ways in order to promote certain devices and technologies. Thus, the depiction of consumers at these trade fairs followed a particular agenda; that of characterizing consumption in a certain way in order to promote particular devices.