Moral Economy
= general concept, can be specifically applied to special domains as well
General Concept
History
"I am not mistaken, this idea was formulated in nineteenth-century Russia by the authors of the concept ‘moral economy’, and the term itself was coined by Leo Tolstoy.
Teodor Shanin: This is not a utopia. Sprouts of this new reality can be seen in the new Russian farming countryside. These sprouts are weak, sometimes they perish, but something germinates. And this ‘something’ deserves an opportunity to develop.
You are right, in old Russia this was called a ‘moral economy’, but the author of the scientific term ‘moral economy’ was Alexander Chayanoviii – in my opinion, an underestimated Russian economist of the twentieth century." (https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-11-18/farmers-and-a-degrowth-economy-in-russia/?)
(from an interview of Teodor Shanin, by Vladimir Emelyanenko)
Social Media Concept
Henry Jenkins (on the moral economy at work in social media):
" "Moral economy" refers to the social expectations, emotional investments, and cultural transactions which create a shared understanding between all participants within an economic exchange. The moral economy which governed old media companies has broken down and there are conflicting expectations about what new relationships should look like. The risks for companies are high, since alienated consumers have other options for accessing media content. The risks for consumers are equally high, since legal sanctions can stifle the emerging participatory culture." (http://henryjenkins.org/2008/03/the_moral_economy_of_web_20_pa.html)
More Information
- Essay on the moral economy of Fan Fiction by Henry Jenkins and Joshua Green: http://henryjenkins.org/2008/03/the_moral_economy_of_web_20_pa.html
- Book: Convergence Culture