1. Hyperloop, a Markets’ Mythology
- Subjects
Silicon valley ,Technology ,Marches ,Technologie ,Marchés ,Myths ,Mythes ,Markets - Abstract
This paper studies how a market is being structured around Hyperloop, the hyper-speed train proposed in 2013 by Elon Musk. We show that Hyperloop carries the mythology, in the Barthian sense, of the possibility for humans to master time and space. We link semiology and materiality and show that meaning is constructed through texts and narrative. Their specificity can influence the structure of markets and what circulates in them. We develop the concept of ambiguous materiality: a dichotomy between the materiality of a technological object and its markets, enabled by the mythological nature of the object.
- Published
- 2022