progressive eco-nomics

The Economist reports on the latest addition to the burgeoning world of online collective action – Carrot Mobs. The difference here is that the mobs are no longer envisaged as providing a collective stick to beat ‘nasty’ corporations with – but rather providing a carrot to ‘ethical’ companies (in this case environmentally sustainable energy companies). By forming collective ‘buying groups’ the aim is to present brands with a ready-made market for their goods.

It highlights how these groups are looking for more than just new ‘choices’ – they are looking for an authenticity of approach which is currently out of the reach of many mainstream organizational cultures. However, the implications of this kind of progressive collective action go far wider than putting up some solar panels in trendy areas of San Francisco.

Given the current ‘stick’ mobs cropping up around the UK with their reactionary messages it is easy to see collective action in the context of its historical ‘class war’ paradigm of social protest. However, it was interesting that the attempts of the BNP to influence this group were roundly rejected. Perhaps this proto-revolutionaries would do well to get out of the cold and get on the internet if they want to influence the buying decisions of companies who are looking for skilled workers in the UK? I am not sure how the narrow political interests of Unions (with their official capital ‘U’), with their conventional institutional responses (such as ‘talks about talks’) can really serve their long term individual prospects.

The re-engagement of the ‘political’ and ‘economy’ (via Anatole Kaletsky) represents an opportunity to evolve new economies of interest rather to retreat to previous social institutions – namely to find new ways of creating political economy which take into account the advancement of individual empowerment through communications technology which offer the opportunity of social networks evolving beyond the current limited ‘lifestyle’ paradigm and starting to acquire greater market and political power.

Comments

[SDJ]

Interesting development - surely anyone could create either a carrot mob or a stick mob by simply using Twitter hashtags?