"My Painting Belongs to 810 People": Investigating the First Encounter Perception of Digital Shares of Physical Collectibles

Collecting unique items is a common practice to display one's social status through conspicuous consumption. However, a new form of ownership has recently surfaced, where platforms sell multiple shares of, e.g., one rare Pokémon card or artwork to numerous users for investment aims. This division of collectibles seems to be a paradox since the limited nature of the goods usually characterizes them, which challenges the definition of consumption and ownership. Therefore, through a qualitative interview study with 14 individuals, we investigate the perception of the first encounter with digital shared ownership in the interplay between collecting and investing from a CSCW perspective. Our interviewees emphasized a need for attachment, knowledge-sharing, and procedural transparency to make sense of this novel form of fractional ownership. Further, we propose to foster collaborative decision-making and exchange between users to design a meaningful online investment experience in the context of exaggerated liquid consumption.