Veronica Jacome is currently working on a book project titled, Hooked: Electrification and the Making of the Modern Consumer. In it, she examines the everyday experiences of ordinary consumers and workers during the electrification of the U.S (up until the early 1970s). Along with a broader US history, Hooked focuses on the Pacific Northwest to study interconnected actors and networks that navigated and helped shape evolving industry debates and practices. By looking beyond grand narratives, the project emphasizes how mundane, everyday life played a key role in shaping the modern business landscape.

Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the National Science Foundation

Related Paper

In her 2024 paper published in the history business journal, Enterprise & Society, Jacome explores the role of relationship building and constructing consumer entitlements in shaping electric grid services. “These relationships were pivotal to [US] electrification, especially with complaints about high bills, malfunctioning meters, and “inadequate” wiring, which led to customer curtailment and threatened the prosperity of central power stations.” To read more of “Killing Complaints with Courtesy,” click here.