The Intention Economy

11

Agency

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson¹

THE ARGUMENT

Agency is personal. It is the source of confidence behind all intention. By its nature, the networked marketplace welcomes full agency for customers. So, because the best vendors are customer-driven, there will be many more ways for both vendors and customers to thrive in the networked marketplace and, therefore, in the Intention Economy as well.

When we use the word agency these days, we usually mean a party that acts on behalf of another one—such as an advertising, PR, real estate, talent, or literary agency. But the deeper original meanings of agency are about acting for one’s self. Here are the Oxford English Dictionary’s relevant ...