Digital technology as market shaper: A typology of digital technology roles for shaping markets

Judith Helmer (), Joelle Hawa and Carolin Plewa
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Judith Helmer: The University of Adelaide
Joelle Hawa: The University of Adelaide
Carolin Plewa: The University of Adelaide

Electronic Markets, 2025, vol. 35, issue 1, No 6, 21 pages

Abstract: Abstract It is commonly acknowledged that various market actors—human individuals, collectives, and organizations—can shape markets. There is some evidence that digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), are joining this list of actors that shape markets. However, scholars are yet to examine this influence. Given our limited understanding of their market-shaping agency and their acknowledgment as a non-human actor, we aim to develop a clearer picture and demystify digital technology as a market shaper in diverse, proactive roles, examining the agency of digital technology to shape markets. We identify four digital technology roles demonstrating market-shaping actions through two main attributes—framing actors’ intentions and collaborating with actors to shape markets. Multiplicity and temporality also emerge as role patterns. This research extends the concepts of actor and agency in market shaping by non-human actors and advances our knowledge of the market-shaping role of digital technology.

Keywords: Market shaping; Non-human actor; Agency; Actor-network theory; Market-shaping roles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D47 L86 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s12525-024-00751-x

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