Digital platforms and speed-based competition: The case of secondhand clothing

Abstract

Recent research studies have explored what digital platforms do as well as the behaviour they generate among users. This article builds on the existing literature by studying how P2P digital platforms are speeding up market activities and how this acceleration is shaping inter-user relationships. A qualitative ethnographic study was conducted on the secondhand clothing market from 2013 to 2020. Drawing on social acceleration theory, we show how the affordances of digital platforms encourage an acceleration in the pace of life, an acceleration in the renewal of items owned, and a technical acceleration across multiple domains. These accelerations are inciting speed-based competition between users, who must now be more responsive, more trend-conscious, and more savvy than others. The platforms also constitute a particular digital space that invites us to rethink the notion of alienation in various forms, specifically spatial and temporal alienation. In addition to these theoretical contributions, this research offers societal insights that will help users become more aware of the scale of their sped-up activities on digital platforms.

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“…As neoliberal policies took root in the 1980s, oligopolies in global industries solidified, reinforcing international investments (Foster et al, 2011). Marketing tools and techniques have gradually become pervasive and accessible to everyone, from MNCs to small craftsmen and individual prosumers operating on collaborative exchange platforms (Juge et al, 2019(Juge et al, , 2022.…”

“…Likewise, while sharing is presented as a mitigation strategy by IPCC (2022), recent research highlights the existence of environmental drawbacks associated with the peer-to-peer economy (Juge et al, 2022; Robert et al, 2014). In particular, the purchase and sale of secondhand clothing on platforms can end up multiplying the number of transactions and the carbon impacts of transportation, just as carpooling or shared accommodation can ultimately lead to an increase in travel (another example of the rebound effect).…”

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“…Lorsque les politiques néolibérales ont pris racine dans les années 1980, les oligopoles des industries mondiales se sont solidifiés, renforçant les investissements internationaux (Foster et al, 2011). Les outils et techniques de marketing sont progressivement devenus omniprésents et accessibles à tous, des multinationales aux petits artisans et consommateurs experts opérant sur des plateformes d'échange collaboratives (Juge et al, 2019(Juge et al, , 2022.…”

“…De même, alors que l’économie collaborative est souvent présentée comme une stratégie d’atténuation, des recherches récentes mettent en évidence l’existence des dommages environnementaux qui lui sont associés (Juge et al, 2022 ; Robert et al, 2014). En particulier, l’achat et la vente de vêtements d’occasion sur les plateformes peuvent finir par multiplier le nombre de transactions et les impacts carbone du transport, tout comme le covoiturage ou l’hébergement partagé peuvent entraîner une augmentation des déplacements (un autre exemple de l’effet rebond).…”

The neighborhood advantage: exploring the impact of negotiation costs on transaction satisfaction in local second-hand trading platforms

“…Previous research on C2C second-hand marketplaces can be broadly categorized into two streams: the first focuses on the challenges arising from seller anonymity and limited product information (Kwon, 2021;Pavlou & Fygenson, 2006;Pavlou et al, 2007;Yen & Lu, 2008), resulting in risks related to finances, time, performance, psychology, and delivery (Mao & Lyu, 2017). The second stream examines factors that encourage second-hand transactions, including value dimensions (Wu et al, 2022;Yrjölä et al, 2017;Zhang et al, 2019), perceived benefits (Liang et al, 2021;Yang et al, 2017), social contact (Guiot & Roux, 2010;Juge et al, 2022), enjoyment (Hamari et al, 2016;Tussyadiah, 2016), and trust (Möhlmann, 2015). However, there is a lack of research specifically investigating local second-hand transactions as critical factors that eliminate transaction barriers.…”