URCAD Sneak Peek: Kristina Han

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 08:58:15 -0400

A Sneak Peek about... "SNEAKS"!

Don't miss Kristina Han's URCAD presentation, "Hype Sneakers: Reselling Culture on the Internet"!

URCAD is online, April 19-25, 2021 at

URCAD.umbc.edu

Abstract

Mentor: Dr. Bambi Chapin, Sociology and Anthropology

The art of flipping sneakers has turned into a billion-dollar business. Resellers make money by identifying which sneakers will become the most desired styles, buying them up, and hyping them to potential buyers, selling them for many times the purchase price. Social media, especially Instagram which launched in 2010, has helped increase the attention on sneakers and given resellers an easier way to connect to their customers and sell shoes. In order to explore this, I conducted ethnographic research entirely online, using participant observation and interviews with Instagram resellers and their followers. In this presentation, I will draw on this research to examine the motivations of the resellers and their customers, what makes something desirable and how trends are shaped, and the sense of identity that emerges for both the reseller and consumer. This tightly focused study sheds light on the personal, social, and cultural dimensions of markets and the promotion of desire.