Title:  COMMERCIALIZING VOYEURISM: HOW ORGANIZATIONS LEVERAGE AUTHENTICITY AND TRANSGRESSION TO CREATE VALUE

Type: Talk with Q&A

Language: English

Facilitator: Maxim Voronov
 

Abstract. Though voyeurism violates dominant moral codes in many societies, for an increasing number of businesses, voyeurism is an important part of value creation. Despite the challenges facing businesses that violate moral codes, businesses whose value creation relies on commercializing this practice have been highly successful (e.g., erotic webcam, reality TV, slum tourism, mixed martial arts). However, existing theories provide few insights to explain how the practice of voyeurism can create value for audiences while managing the associated challenges. To address this important gap, we theorize the value created through the practice of voyeurism, and how businesses work to ensure this value is delivered to audiences. We conceptualize two key dimensions of the practice of voyeurism, authenticity and transgression, which create a distinctive experience that is both entertaining and revelatory. We suggest that businesses deliver this value to audiences by managing the audience’s emotional responses to participation in the practice through emotional optimization. We thus advance a theory of the commercialization of voyeurism, and in doing so, also enrich our understanding of both authenticity and transgression.

Speaker. Maxim Voronov is a Professor of Organization Studies at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto. His research examines the dynamics of change and stability of social arrangements – at organizational, industry and societal levels. He is especially interested in how cultural resources are created and deployed by people and organizations to accomplish their strategic objectives, and examines both human effort and its social embeddedness. He has studied change in a variety of industries and organizations, including Ontario wine and restaurant industries and the Canadian whisky industry. His work appears or is forthcoming in such leading management journals as the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies, and Human Relations, among others. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies, and Organization Studies.