"Tokens litter the edges of the "real" economy: for beer in a student union bar that does not have a beer licence to serve alcohol; for a meal at a Buddhist temple that does not meet the required health and safety regulations to operate as a restaurant; for a live sex show when it is illegal to pay for or solicit online sex – and so on. Tokens draw the edges between work and non-work, legitimate and illegitimate economic activity, payment and gift. They mark the point where markets blend from white to grey, and from grey to black."
Tokens – The Future of Money in the Age of the Platform (Listed for FT Business Book of the Year) considers the rise in tokens and what that means in terms of control and discrimination, as well as the effect it can have on politics, communities, and the world in general.
As the use of tokens continues to increase, and with the current economic downturn and the climate crisis on the horizon, Rachel explores how tokens could provide a future economy.
Rachel is a Lecturer in Digital Cultures at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.
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