Etsy, Inc.: Crafting a Living in a Capitalist Economy
Date
2016
Authors
Krugh, Michele
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Abstract
Currently, American interest in craft might be the most widespread it has ever been. The successful e-commerce site Etsy, founded in 2005 and specializing in handmade goods, vintage products, and craft supplies, has played a major role in this contemporary craft resurgence. As a peer-to-peer sharing economy platform and a Certified B Corporation, Etsy, Inc. promises to improve the future through equitable uses of technology, providing some level of income for millions of people, as consumers spend billions of dollars annually on the site. Existing at the intersection of craft idealism, neoliberalism, financialization, techno-utopianism, and ethical business debates, Etsy exposes the contradictions and complications of business, work, and consumption at the current conjuncture.
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Keywords
Social research, American history, Arts and Crafts Movement, Craft, Ethical Consumption, Etsy, Financial Capitalism, Sharing Economy