choices, economics, and marketing are always shaping tastes. But what if you could study popularity in a market without any of those things—in a store with infinite options, universal prices, and no advertising? For example, imagine a national clothing outlet that carried every size and design of shirts, pants, and shoes. But this national chain had no labels or ads to promote one style over another. Every possible article of clothing simply existed, and they were all the same price. This chain would be a social scientist’s dream. Researchers could use it to study why certain fashions rise and
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