Cultures of digital finance: the rise of the financial public sphere

Abstract

My contribution intends to map the cultures and practices related to crypto-finance use in two distinct sectors: the ‘mainstream’ space of retail investors and the avantgarde space of artists/activists. This paper explores the realm of crypto-finance by using the lens of cultural and social analysis, deploying a frame derived from the theory of public sphere. By doing this I analyse the cultural production of the publics which coalesced around crypto, evaluating the change of visibility implied in these new public discussions of finance. The aim of this paper is to highlight potential bridges for cultural policy in two fields that have both partially departed from an institutional framework but that ultimately ended up being significantly embedded in mainstream cultural and social processes. In the case of ordinary crypto-investors, I will reflect on how platformed cultural production is responsible for the creation alternative financial literacy. In the case of artists, I will explore how blockchain-based innovation nurtured a new space for the imagination of finance and welfare. I will conclude by discussing these developments and drawing implications crypto-finance has for the discussion on the role of financial investment and digital technologies in our societies.