TY - CHAP AB - Abstract Bitcoin is difficult to categorize and indeed has been associated with 112 different labels in the British media (e.g., “private money,” “commodity”) – most of which poorly describe bitcoin. Specifically, our analyses of 674 media articles, focusing on the relationship between labeling and categorization, identify classification inconsistencies at three levels: within clusters of labels, between labels and categories, and between category attributes. These inconsistencies hamper categorization based on attribute similarity, audience goals, and causal models, respectively. We identify four factors that nurture this categorical anarchy and conclude with a call for research on the socioeconomic revolution heralded by blockchain technology. VL - 51 SN - 978-1-78714-238-1, 978-1-78714-239-8/0733-558X DO - 10.1108/S0733-558X20170000051005 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20170000051005 AU - Vergne J. P. AU - Swain Gautam PY - 2017 Y1 - 2017/01/01 TI - Categorical Anarchy in the UK? The British Media’s Classification of Bitcoin and the Limits of Categorization T2 - From Categories to Categorization: Studies in Sociology, Organizations and Strategy at the Crossroads T3 - Research in the Sociology of Organizations PB - Emerald Publishing Limited SP - 185 EP - 222 Y2 - 2024/03/28 ER -