The purpose of this study is to center transgender consumers in the conceptualizations between marketplace marginalization and digital spaces. We examine transgender crowdfunding as a hashtag-bounded digital space created by and for the transgender community–namely, the #TransCrowdFund digital space on Twitter. We draw on trans digital geographies as a novel analytical lens to focus attention on transgender consumers' unique experiences in and between digital spaces. Through qualitative hashtag mapping, we analyzed a sample of 200 Twitter profiles and accompanying tweets drawn from individuals using the #TransCrowdFund hashtag. Findings suggest transgender consumers utilize crowdfunding as a hashtag-bounded digital space in three ways: accessing networks, narrativizing needs, and signaling identity. Within each of these functional uses, underlying tensions arise in navigating transphobic marketplace marginalization, unique to transgender consumer well-being. Our research demonstrates the power of centering transgender consumers–both conceptually and contextually–in consumer research and offers implications for scholars and policy makers.

中文翻译：

---

将跨性别消费者置于市场边缘化和数字空间的概念化中

本研究的目的是将跨性别消费者置于市场边缘化和数字空间之间的概念化中。我们将跨性别众筹视为由跨性别社区创建并为跨性别社区创建的以标签为界的数字空间——即 Twitter 上的#TransCrowdFund 数字空间。我们利用跨数字地理作为一种新颖的分析镜头，将注意力集中在跨性别消费者在数字空间中和数字空间之间的独特体验上。通过定性主题标签映射，我们分析了 200 个 Twitter 个人资料样本以及从使用#TransCrowdFund 主题标签的个人中提取的随附推文。调查结果表明，跨性别消费者通过三种方式将众筹作为一个以话题标签为界的数字空间：访问网络、叙述需求和传递身份。在这些功能用途中的每一个中，潜在的紧张局势都出现在应对跨性别消费者福祉所特有的跨性别市场边缘化中。我们的研究展示了在消费者研究中以跨性别消费者为中心的力量——无论是在概念上还是在情境上——并为学者和政策制定者提供启示。