Overview

Broadly, my studies are organized along two parallel research streams. The first one, developed in my dissertation, aims to propose a more dialogic vision of category-based evaluation, where language is presented as an active force that actors who are atypical within a given context - with respect to traits, features, characteristics, and behaviors - can leverage to influence how audiences interpret and make sense of them. More specifically, my research illuminates how individuals and organizations who do not comply with categorical standards can actively mobilize linguistic and structural narrative features to influence the evaluative process and mitigate against a negative evaluation. I primarily explore these dynamics in the context of platform-mediated marketplaces, studying crafters that operate on Etsy, the largest online digital marketplace for handmade items.

In familiarizing myself with the context, my attention was caught by the profound power asymmetries characterizing the relationship between platforms and the constellation of entrepreneurs populating their ecosystems. My second line of work, thus, is more phenomenon-based, and it seeks to capture, unpack, and frame from a conceptual standpoint some of the underlying dynamics of Platform Economy. My research advances a novel perspective that extends and enriches our understanding of entrepreneurship and strategy in the age of platforms, showing that while digital platforms create tremendous businesses opportunities, they also engender profound power asymmetries that constrain the firms dependent upon them and alter their competitive landscape.