群学肄言堂第十五季02期

Blind Date: Network Initiation, Prestige Economies, and Investor Performance 

on Social Trading Platforms

讲 座 信 息

主题：Blind Date: Network Initiation, Prestige Economies, and Investor Performance on Social Trading Platforms

时间：2024年3月29日（周五）13:30-15:30

地点：浙江大学紫金港西区成均苑8幢1127

概要：Network initiation processes can be consequential with regard to the structure and properties of a social network. Despite this, until now initiation dynamics has been little investigated in empirical settings. Using a dataset with over 51,000 ties from a social trading platform (STP), we investigate this dynamic and its impact on the structure of traders’ networks within an STP. STPs allow participants to form consensual ties by sending and accepting friendship requests. Once a tie is formed, nodes get access to each other’s truthful trading histories. We examine the following factors as possible drivers of network initiation: information searches, learning, herding, and status seeking. We find that participants are more likely to initiate a tie after a change in their financial performance, but less likely to accept a tie from someone performing better than them. In terms of ulterior trading performance, traders who accept a tie benefit more than those who initiate it. The outcomes of this initiation dynamics are multiple networks in which traders maintain ties with those having a lesser financial performance. Such networks will tend to exclude traders performing better than the one at the top. Based on this, we argue that reputation and status are the key drivers of networks initiation, leading to a prestige economy with multiple networks (instead of a unique one) within which a trader (akin to an influencer) would dominate, performance-wise, a group of followers. Theoretically, we draw attention to the role of initiation dynamics is shaping the structure of a consensual network. Empirically, we highlight the role of status seeking in social media-supported financial networks.

主讲人：Alexandru Preda，岭南大学社会学与社会政策系教授

Alexandru Preda holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Bielefeld and a Dr. habil. from the University of Konstanz, Germany. Before joining Lingnan University, he has held positions at the Universities of Konstanz, Edinburgh, King’s College London, and visiting positions at the University of Chicago. He works at the intersection of economic sociology and the sociology of science and technology. His current research projects focus on the blockchain economy and on digital art markets, respectively. Areas of Interest include Social Interactions and Technology, The Emergence of New Markets, Expertise and Professions in Markets, Valuation Processes in Social Exchanges and Digital Organizations.

评议人：Kurtuluş Gemici，浙江大学社会学系长聘副教授

加州大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA）博士。比较历史社会学者，研究领域包括经济社会学、政治经济学和社会学理论。实证研究涉及国际资本流动、跨国金融一体化、经济危机、经济发展、金融网络和住房制度。比较历史分析探究了智利、韩国、土耳其和美国的社会转型。理论研究涉及市场社会学、嵌入性、货币和商品虚构。文章发表于 Socio-Economic Review、Theory & Society、Sociological Theory、Mobilization、Regional Studies 和 Politics & Society 等权威期刊。目前正在完成一本关于新古典经济学起源的著作。

主持人：夏丽丽，浙江大学社会学系新百人计划研究员

香港中文大学社会福利哲学博士，香港注册社工资格、亚洲家庭治疗学院认证家庭治疗师。研究领域包括家庭/儿童福利，家庭治疗与精神健康，社会服务发展，社会工作教育与培训等。