Markets of Desire: Sex, Wealth, and the Price of Pleasure is a dark economic and psychological exploration of how modern societies monetize intimacy, attention, and human emotions. Blending economic theory, behavioral psychology, and dystopian storytelling, this book reveals how desire becomes a market force, how power structures exploit addiction, and how digital capitalism reshapes human relationships.
Through the journeys of Mira, Arjun, and an unnamed economist, the narrative uncovers the rise of the Pleasure Economy?a system where identity, attention, and emotional connection become commodities. As the market expands, bubbles form, productivity collapses, and societies face an unprecedented emotional and economic crisis.
This book examines themes such as behavioral addiction, attention economics, power and inequality, algorithmic manipulation, and the collapse of human capital in the digital age. It challenges traditional economic assumptions and asks a fundamental question: What happens when pleasure becomes the primary driver of markets and meaning?
A hybrid of academic theory and philosophical fiction, Markets of Desire is ideal for readers interested in economics, sociology, psychology, digital capitalism, and dystopian narratives. It offers a bold critique of modern consumption-driven societies and a vision of what might come after the collapse of the Pleasure Economy.
