In this conceptual article, we outline a process through which some technology entrepreneurs come to be viewed as heroes in the public’s eye. We argue that market heroism relies on top-down narratives of imagined future utopias that combine with bottom-up consumer desire for those utopias. While extant marketing theory has typically focused on imagination of products and consumption, we expand the conversation by highlighting the importance of consumer imagination for an idealized future time. The relevance of our process to consumer behavior lies with the potential for products and services to indirectly represent that imagined future time. Synthesizing work in and beyond marketing, we map out a process by which technology entrepreneurs attempt to enlist the participation of consumers, media, and the state into their visions of social and market progress. In doing so, we bring critical attention to the effect of heroic discourses of technological utopias and the ideological ground that supports and enables such discourses.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.