Evaluate the collective function of references cited together in a given text segment.
Classify their combined role into one of the following categories: 'method', 'background', or 'result'.

Text:Others like Karnani (2007) counter the free-market view by arguing that information asymmetry between the firm and the less informed consumer might lead to a market failure, proposing instead that “if she was truly empowered, she would probably refuse to buy a skin whitener in the first place” (p.…
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