Informality and Consumption: Navigating Marketplaces in Bangalore, India
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Informality and Consumption: Navigating Marketplaces in Bangalore, India by Priyank Chandra A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Information) in the University of Michigan 2019 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Joyojeet Pal, Chair Professor Mark Ackerman Assistant Professor Jenna Burrell, University of California, Berkeley Assistant Professor Tawanna Dillahunt Associate Professor Kentaro Toyama Priyank Chandra [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4024-8871 ©Priyank Chandra 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to my advisor, Joyojeet Pal for being a mentor that I hope to emulate. This dissertation would not have been possible without his unwavering support and guidance. I would also like to thank my dissertation committee - Kentaro Toyama, Tawanna Dillahunt, Mark Ackerman, and Jenna Burrell for their very insightful comments and critiques that have helped make this dissertation better. From the very beginning, Kentaro played an important role in challenging my ideas and helping me clarify my thinking. I am also thankful to Tawanna and Mark who were gracious with their time and advice at important stages of the research. This research began as a project on piracy that I conducted while visiting Microsoft Research Labs, India. I am indebted to Jacki O’Neill for hosting me and being a patient mentor. I would also like to thank mentors and collaborators, Jay Chen and Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed who have contributed significantly to this project. I am especially grateful to the interviewees and contacts at SP Road for their patience and generosity. Over countless cups of tea, they not only tolerated my presence but went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I am glad that I joined the School of Information - the multidisciplinary nature of the department has been a constant source of intellectual growth. I have made many friends here, each of them playing an important role in making this PhD journey memorable. Jeff Huang, the first friend I made in Ann Arbor. Sangseok You, a constant source of encouragement and interesting conversations. Gaurav Paruthi, friend and roommate, who I could bounce ideas off, no matter how absurd. Padma Chirumamilla and Allan Martell for providing very thoughtful critique of my research. Other colleagues and friends include Vaishnav Kameswaran, Megh Marathe, Sam ii Carton, Daphne Chang, Hariharan Subramonyam, Tawfiq Ammari, Cindy Lin, Tamy Guberek, Julie Hui, Sai Gouravajhala, and Tarlie Townsend whose company made the grey winters of Ann Arbor enjoyable. My colleagues and mentors at Project Vision played an important role in preparing me for this PhD journey. Geetha Narayana and Padmini Nagaraja opened my mind to new ways of thinking. Pooja Sagar, close friend and ally, was a constant source of critique and encouragement. I am lucky to have good friends, Ramesh Ramani, Ananthram Ganesh, Kanishk Nadkarni, Partha Bopaiah, and Ruchika Mohanty who have been helpful distractions over the years. I indebted to my parents, my father - Brajesh Chandra and my mother - Abha Rani for being wonderful teachers and providing me the intellectual space to explore and grow. My brother, Tushar Chandra, who I spent an entire childhood aspiring to be and who remains my greatest supporter. Finally, I’d like to thank Prati for being a loving companion through this long intellectual journey, an unwavering constant that has kept me moving forward. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ................................... ii List of Figures ..................................... vii List of Tables ...................................... viii Abstract ......................................... ix Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................... 1 1.1 Traditional marketplaces .......................... 4 1.2 Evolution of Marketplaces ......................... 8 1.2.1 Traditional to Malls ........................ 8 1.2.2 The Entry of Online Markets .................... 10 1.3 Marketplaces and Institutions ........................ 13 1.3.1 The Informal Economy and the State . 14 1.3.2 Marketplaces, Institutions and Trust . 17 1.3.3 Marketplaces and Intermediaries . 18 1.4 Outlining the Thesis ............................. 19 2 Theoretical Frameworks .............................. 23 2.1 Defining Practices and Practice Theory ................... 24 2.1.1 Consumption and Practice Theory . 27 2.1.2 Practice Theory and Inertia ..................... 30 2.1.3 Market Practices .......................... 31 2.2 Practice Lens to Technology Adoption and Use . 32 2.3 Traditional Models of Technology Adoption and Use . 33 2.3.1 Technology Diffusion Models ................... 34 2.3.2 Technology Acceptance Models . 35 2.3.3 Domestication Theory ....................... 36 2.4 Technology Adoption, Communication Channels, and Sense-making . 39 3 Data and Methods .................................. 42 3.1 The SP Road Market Ecosystem ...................... 43 3.1.1 The Personal Computer Ecosystem . 47 3.2 Data Collection ............................... 49 3.2.1 Phase 1: Entry of Online Marketplaces . 51 iv 3.2.2 Phase 2: Demonetization and Entry of Digital Money . 51 3.2.3 Phase 3: Adapting to Online Marketplaces and Demonetization . 52 3.3 Reflections on Data Collection ....................... 55 4 Underlying Infrastructures of a Traditional Marketplace ............ 57 4.1 Introduction ................................. 57 4.2 Background ................................. 58 4.2.1 Space and Informality ....................... 58 4.2.2 Innovation, Informality, and ICTs in the Global South . 60 4.2.3 The Fixed Telephone and Collaboration . 61 4.3 The SP Road Market Ecosystem ...................... 62 4.3.1 State Actors and SP Road ..................... 64 4.3.2 Piracy and SP Road ........................ 65 4.4 Space and SP Road ............................. 65 4.5 The Intercom System at SP Road ...................... 67 4.6 The Intercom, Informality, and Community . 70 4.6.1 Intra-community bonds and the Intercom . 72 4.7 Discussion .................................. 74 4.7.1 Invisibility and Technical Infrastructure . 75 4.7.2 Local Technology Use, Informality, and Cooperation . 76 4.7.3 Technology Appropriation and Control . 77 4.7.4 Implications ............................ 78 4.8 Conclusion ................................. 79 5 Market Practices and Consumption ........................ 81 5.1 Introduction ................................. 81 5.2 Background ................................. 82 5.2.1 Practice Theory and HCI ...................... 82 5.2.2 Consumption and marketplaces . 83 5.3 Market Practices and Technology Consumption . 86 5.3.1 Practices of Searching ....................... 86 5.3.2 Practices of Clientelization ..................... 89 5.3.3 Practices of Bargaining ....................... 90 5.3.4 Practices of Testing ......................... 92 5.4 Discussion .................................. 94 5.4.1 Traditional marketplaces and HCI . 95 5.4.2 Market Practices and Design .................... 96 6 The Domestication of Online Marketplaces .................... 99 6.1 Introduction ................................. 99 6.2 Domestication of Online Shopping . 101 6.2.1 Appropriation ............................101 6.2.2 Objectification . 103 6.2.3 Incorporation ............................106 6.2.4 Conversion .............................110 v 6.3 Discussion ..................................114 6.3.1 Non-use and rethinking the Digital Divide . 116 6.3.2 Design, Domestication, and Marketplaces . 117 6.3.3 Marketplaces and ICTD . 119 6.4 Conclusion .................................120 7 Making Sense of Digital Technologies ....................... 121 7.1 Introduction .................................121 7.2 Related Literature ..............................124 7.2.1 Rumors, Ambiguity, and Collective Sensemaking . 124 7.2.2 Marketplaces, Rumors, and Communication Channels . 126 7.2.3 Community, Communication, and Rumors . 127 7.3 Rumors, Market Actors, and New Technologies . 129 7.4 Rumors, Government Policies, and Institutional Trust . 132 7.5 Rumors and Information Boundaries . 135 7.6 Discussion ..................................138 7.6.1 Technology Adoption, Collective Sensemaking, and Rumors . 140 7.6.2 Informality, Institutions, and Rumors . 141 7.7 Conclusion .................................143 8 Conclusion: Informality and Traditional Marketplaces ............. 144 8.1 Practices, Stability, and Marketplaces . 147 8.2 Informality and Access . 148 8.3 Informality and Collaboration . 151 8.4 Informality and Trust ............................153 8.5 Informality and Resilience . 154 8.6 Informality and Technology Adoption . 157 8.7 Designing New Marketplaces . 159 Bibliography ...................................... 163 vi LIST OF FIGURES 3.1 SP Road Buildings ................................ 43 3.2 A busy SP Road ................................. 45 3.3 Old laptops stocked at an informal service center . 46 3.4 Repair at an informal service center ....................... 48 4.1 Narrow alleys branching from SP Road ..................... 66 4.2 Crowded building complexes ........................... 67 4.3 The landline telephone intercom System ..................... 68 vii LIST OF TABLES 3.1 Semi-structured interviews ............................ 49 3.2 Demographic Details of Interviewees (Phase 3) . 54 8.1 Organization of marketplaces . 159 viii ABSTRACT Sadar Patrappa (SP) Road, a crowded 1 km stretch of road in the city of Bangalore, In- dia, has been