CHILDREN IN CREATIONIST CAPITALISM

Abstract

The term ‘creationist capitalism’ attempts to capture a shift or a trend in capitalism that is currently being described as a move away from consumption to that of prosumption. At the heart of prosumption is the intertwining of economic profit-making with individual creativity. This study explores how creationist capitalism is produced and pushed forward in corporate practices and understandings. Particular attention is paid to virtual worlds that rely on user-generated content. The case study of Habbo Hotel examines company practices that shape children's experiences online and opens for scrutiny some of the complex political and ethical issues that these practices pose. The aim is to demonstrate that children's interactions, particularly online, should be explored within a framework that identifies the intimate links between social aspirations and economic production. In virtual worlds, children's social aims and desires interweave with capitalist profit-making in imaginative and sometimes unexpected ways.

Keywords:

• Web 2.0
• creationist capitalism
• virtual world
• value creation
• childhood
• Habbo Hotel

Acknowledgements

I thank Don Slater and Marilyn Strathern for their helpful and critical comments on an earlier version of this article.