Browsing by Subject "value"

Cryptocurrency emerged in response to a growing distrust in traditional financial systems, representing an attempt to re-imagine money on a global level. Unlike previous alternative currency movements, cryptocurrencies allowed greater scalability, portability, security and ‘more than money’ use-cases. This led to widespread adoption and narratives of cryptocurrency’s revolutionary potential. Since the invention of Bitcoin in 2008 more than 23,000 cryptocurrencies have been traded, along with the development of non-fungible tokens, decentralised autonomous organisations, and ‘metaverses’, which make up the new layer of internet infrastructure enthusiasts call ‘Web 3’. Alongside talk of cryptocurrencies’ speculative appeal, are visions of a blockchain-supported economy that are about much more than money: representing new forms of operating, living and imagining value. Yet others remain perplexed by the way value seemingly arises ‘out of nothing’. This thesis takes cryptocurrency as an opportunity to explore the social construction of value. Through seven months of fieldwork online and in Helsinki in 2022, it provides an ‘on the ground’ view from the cryptoscene. This work explores users’ motivations and understandings of value, their subjectivities, ideals and values, and the social relations that hold everything together. The study contributes findings that emphasise cryptocurrencies’ entanglement with ideological beliefs, values and ethical projects, suggesting cryptocurrency use extends beyond individual rational economization. Analysing ideals from the scene, the work highlights new labours and ethics which inform users’ subjectivities, encouraging self-responsibility, rationality and discipline. Despite the scene’s rhetoric of individualism, communities and social relations are found to play an important role in mediating trust and value, working to re-embed a notion of ‘the social’.

This research concerns the well-being of the people associated with a startup company geographically located in and around Finland. It explored the ideal world of startups through ethnography and thematic analysis utilizing anthropological theories of value. Entrepreneurs are often portrayed as exemplary, self-driven citizens who contribute to society through innovations and economic growth. People with such a mindset of freedom and self-dependence formed the startup organization to bring the ideal world to life. However, they simultaneously relied on hierarchical and role-based relations to function as a coherent organization. Living in such contradictions, feelings of euphoria and vague emptiness roomed as the ideal world seemed to be within reach yet impossible to actually attain. In such a place, having anything that could truly be called well-being - if it means being one with the world they envision and attaining what they consider important - was difficult.

The Master´s thesis examines the conceived value patterns the city officials use in the context of land-use regulation of small forest fragments. As a theoretical framework, the study utilises Boltanski and Thévenot´s theory on the common worlds with complementary literature, such as Thévenot’s cognitive formats and engagements. In light of extensive scientific research, urban greenspaces have multiple positive impacts to both urban structure and wellbeing of the residents. Small greenspaces, so-called forest fragments with no appointed recreational activities are, nevertheless, often presented as potential sites for infill construction. This appears especially in cities where strong population growth causes pressure for urban development. This Master´s thesis complements existing research in this regard by revealing the diversity of valuation that form the basis to differing interests, perspectives and decisions that direct urban land-use policy in these forest fragments. The empirical phase has been conducted among city officials in the City of Espoo (FI), who represent different operative units and positions. The analysis was conducted through an exploratory and semiquantitative Q methodology. In the study, the respondents (N=27) validated statements (Q=35) related to planning decisions on small forest fragments. The factor extraction was conducted by principal component analysis. The seven analysed factors form consistent value patterns, which may be used when describing and interpreting the justification of urban planning regulation in forest fragments. In each individual value pattern, either valuation of the local landscape, public good or personal advantage is emphasised. From the common worlds, argumentation based on the industrial or the market worlds highlight personal affinity, whereas, for instance, the civic or the domestic world form a basis for argumentation on social values and the common good. Human-centred biophilia is the most explanatory of the value patterns. Based on the valuation, forest fragments are seen as an integral part of the urban structure especially due to their cultural ecosystem services, such as recreational possibilities, effect on residents´ environmental consciousness and stability of the local landscape.